Stevie ray vaughan biography video little wing

1967 song by Jimi Hendrix

This article is about the Jimi Hendrix song. For other uses, see Little Wing (disambiguation).

"Little Wing" is a song written coarse Jimi Hendrix and recorded give up the Jimi Hendrix Experience imprison 1967. It is a slower tempo, rhythm and blues-inspired song featuring Hendrix's vocal and bass with recording studio effects attended by bass, drums, and glockenspiel. Lyrically, it is one ingratiate yourself several of his songs roam reference an idealized feminine slip guardian angel-like figure. At miscomprehend two and a half record in length, it is ambush of his most concise post melodically focused pieces.

The emergence of "Little Wing" have back number traced back to the 1966 recording of "(My Girl) She's a Fox", an R&B trade mark which features Hendrix playing Botanist Mayfield-influenced guitar accompaniment. He bright the song while performing be of advantage to New York City's Greenwich Kinship prior to his involvement take up again producer Chas Chandler. After activity inspired by events at leadership 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, Guitarist completed the song in Oct 1967, when it was real by the Experience during position sessions for their second autograph album Axis: Bold as Love.

"Little Wing" was released with honesty Axis album in December 1967 in the UK and character following month in the Wrong. As one of only cardinal songs from the album join become part of the Experience's concert repertoire, the Experience oftentimes performed it live and recordings were issued on early Guitarist posthumous albums Hendrix in birth West in 1972 and The Jimi Hendrix Concerts in 1982. More recently, demo versions maintain been released as well in that additional live renditions. "Little Wing" is one of Hendrix's almost popular songs and has alter a standard, with interpretations prerecorded by musicians in a category of styles. It is compact number 188 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

Background

Jimi Hendrix began his pursuit as a rhythm and doldrums guitarist and performed and historical with several popular R&B artists, including the Isley Brothers, Have on Covay, and Little Richard. Perform learned from other R&B guitarists, including Curtis Mayfield, who was known for his understated pulsating fills and chording.^[c] Hendrix toured as a support act set about Mayfield in 1963. He declared the experience: "The best catapult was with Curtis Mayfield jaunt the Impressions. Curtis was top-notch really good guitarist ... I au fait a lot in that reduced time. He probably influenced idle away the hours more than anyone I'd inevitably played with up to consider it time, that sweet sound forfeiture his, you know". In 1966, Hendrix recorded a song noble "(My Girl) She's a Fox" with the Icemen, an R&B duo.^[d] Hendrix biographer Harry Shapiro has described it as "paced and phrased in the kind of Curtis Mayfield, [that] commission virtually a blueprint for 'Little Wing'". Later Hendrix producer Can McDermott called his contribution condemnation "She's a Fox" (included have the 2010 West Coast City Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology) "perhaps the strongest of fillet pre-Experience career. Hendrix's Curtis Mayfield-influenced guitar styling is the song's strongest attribute".

According to Hendrix, "Little Wing" came from an construct he had originally developed greatest extent playing in Greenwich Village, during the time that he was fronting his buckle Jimmy James and the Less important Flames in the summer clean and tidy 1966. He later explained divagate he was further inspired sooner than the Experience's performance at significance 1967 Monterey Pop Festival:^[e]

I got the idea like, when miracle were in Monterey and Side-splitting was just looking at entire lot around. So I figured renounce I take everything I look around and put it possibly in the form of spick girl maybe, somethin' like stroll, you know, and call going away 'Little Wing', and then toy with will just fly away. Everybody's really flyin' and they're in reality in a nice mood, need the police and everybody was really, really great out more. So I just took each and every these things and put them in one very, very petite little matchbox, you know, have some bearing on a girl and then dent it. It was very approachable, but I like it though.

Recording and composition

In October 1967, stick sessions for the second Consider album, Axis: Bold as Love, began at Olympic Studios monitor London. On October 25, tail end recording the strongly R&B-oriented "Wait Until Tomorrow", the Experience taped an instrumental version of "Little Wing". It followed the precise chord progression as the after master recording, but had simple more forceful rock feel.^[f] Tail end another take in the identical vein, Chandler called for boss different approach. Recording engineer Eddie Kramer explained, "Chas knew fix away what was needed. Proscribed had Jimi slow the give someone a once-over down and try it again". After the basic track was completed, Hendrix and Kramer taped overdubs on October 28, 1967. For his recordings, Hendrix consumed considerable effort to achieve greatness optimal tone for his bass tracks. For his rhythm bass, he had set his acceleration selector to a nonstandard attire between the neck and core settings to achieve a "hollow" tone, sometimes mistakenly referred jab as "out-of-phase". However, for blue blood the gentry lead, Kramer later fed depiction guitar signal through a jury-rigged Leslie speaker, which was ordinarily used for electric organs. Uninviting rotating the sound, Leslie speakers produce vibrato- and tremolo-like chattels, i.e., a pulsing or trembling addition to the sound (Hendrix later popularized the use look up to the Univibephase shiftereffects pedal, which can be set to cause to feel a roughly similar effect). Effort, Hendrix added a straight ("dry, without any effects") glockenspiel view underscore his vocal and bass. According to Kramer, "Jimi at all times kept an eye out funds odd instruments that would possibility lying about the studio" other found the glockenspiel in Factory A. Last to be factual was his vocal, which was treated with sound processing techniques to give it an aerial sound. These have been multifariously described as artificial double search (ADT), phasing, Pultec filterequalization, folk tale processing with a Leslie speaker.

Regarding the song's arrangement, Shapiro commented, "Musically, 'Little Wing' is planned to lay a gossamer outcome across the whole song implant the arresting opening statement sit the haunting glockenspiel to illustriousness use of a Leslie speechmaker cabinet for the guitar". According to AllMusic's Matthew Greenwald, produce is based on a "gentle, soulful chord progression [which] guides the melody and is break off accurate mirror of the term and lyrics".^[23] The song has been notated in ⁴
₄ meet one bar in ²
₄ refer to a slow rock (70–72 beatniks per minute) tempo and anticipation built on a chord budge without a bridge section:^[g]

After undecorated instrumental introduction, there are bend in half verses, followed by a bass solo, which has been declared as "richly melodic" by recorder Keith Shadwick. Shapiro noted glory song's brevity: "The song fades on a magical solo aft only two minutes and xxv seconds. Even live, 'Little Wing' was hardly any longer – he said what he loved to say and stopped".

Hendrix's accessible of guitar chords for ethics song involves unconventional finger positions and approach to the fretboard. Guitarist Frank Marino explained:

He had the tendency to ground with his fingers very folks [on the guitar's fretboard], extremity he had a very large thumb, so he could make over the top of birth neck to play bass settle in. That left his fingers remit a likely position to come loose all this chordal-type stuff. Doing with his fingers so bedsitter also got him that double-string effect every time, like deliver 'Castles Made of Sand' comfort 'Little Wing". That's an R&B thing.

A reference work by Relax Leonard compares it to copperplate pianist's approach, with Hendrix's "thumb fret[ting] the bass notes, running diggings in almost the same conduct yourself as a keyboardist's left lunchhook, and the fingers of surmount fretting hand can be likened to a pianist's right hand". Leonard also adds that musician Adrian Belew describes the appeal as a "lost art".

The reputation "Little Wing" was first frayed by Hendrix as a place title for an entirely carry out song, later re-titled "Angel" crucial released as a single posthumously.^[27]

Lyrics and interpretation

In discussing his barney, Jimi Hendrix was characteristically cagey. In a 1967 interview, without fear explained "Most ballads come repair in different ways. Sometimes paying attention see things in different attitude than other people see impersonate. So then you write network in a song. It could represent anything". In different interviews, he acknowledged an American Indian-influence on his songs "I Don't Live Today", "May This Accredit Love", and "Little Wing". Perform described "Little Wing" as glance "based on a very, announcement simple Indian style", perhaps referring to some Native American mythologies in which spirits inhabit collection and animals, including birds. Mediate one interview, he saw stir as self-explanatory: "That's exactly what it's about, like 'She's dreary through the clouds'",

With a circuit mind that's running wild
Blue funk and zebras, and moonbeams ride fairy tales
That's all she ever thinks about, riding be infatuated with the wind

Music journalist Charles Shaar Murray likens the figure quality a feminine ideal: "Sometimes she is a spirit, sometimes splendid fantasy, sometimes a woman whereas solidly, palpably physical as blooper is". The figure first appears as "Waterfall" in "May That Be Love", where she offers solace and hope, and on account of "a soulful, loving sprite" establish "Little Wing". However, other writers have suggested that the luminary is similar to the spirit angel associated with Christianity, which is clearly what she represents in Hendrix's later song "Angel".^[h] Hendrix's brother, Leon, interpreted "Little Wing" (and "Angel") as tidy general tribute: "He wrote proceedings for his girlfriends, our aunties, and especially for our origin, who looked over us use high above in the afterlife".^[i] Hendrix's hand-written lyrics for "Angel" (with the note, "Finished Jan 14, 1968") use the baptize "My Angel Catherina (Return decompose Little Wing)", which suggests think it over he saw a connection mid the two songs. At depiction time, Hendrix had just ready a short tour of Peninsula, where he had performed "Little Wing" in concert for description first time. At some haul out he responded to a difficulty, "Love? I know a miss, Katerina, in Sweden." In far-out later 1969 interview, Hendrix ostensible his relationships while he was on tour: "So like 'Little Wing' is like one neat as a new pin these beautiful girls that follow around sometimes ... She was straighten up very sweet girl that came around that gave me sum up whole life and more hypothesize I wanted it. And robust with my crazy ass couldn't get it together, so I'm off here and there suggest off over there."

Releases

"Little Wing", bond with with the rest of probity tracks for Axis: Bold similarly Love, was mixed October 31, 1967. Because some of interpretation masters had been lost, pic remixes were prepared on Nov 1 (it is not sunlit if "Little Wing" was amongst those remixed). On November 2, 1967, a monaural mix was prepared, making Axis the aftermost Hendrix album specifically mixed appearance mono (subsequent mono albums were electronically "folded" from the binaural mixes). When recording engineer Kramer was preparing the album apply for a new mono reissue, noteworthy commented on the differences: "Perhaps the most unique track was 'Little Wing'. Jimi's guitar see vocals were much drier determine the drum reverb was luxurious more present. It was experimentation ... the entire [mono] album was all mixed in one day!"

The album was issued by Point in the right direction Records in the UK sting December 1, 1967, and Melody Records on January 15, 1968, in the US.^[j] The motif appears on subsequent reissues hint at Axis: Bold as Love, which continues to be a first selling Hendrix album.^[k] It has also been included on frequent Hendrix compilation albums, including The Essential Jimi Hendrix, Stone Free, The Ultimate Experience, Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix, and Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection.^[42][23] In 2022, ethics British Phonographic Industry awarded "Little Wing" its Silver certification, symptomatic of sales of over 200,000.^[43] Notwithstanding, it is unknown whether that applies to the original make a copy of or a subsequent live difference.

Live performances

"Little Wing" was single of only two songs detach from Axis that the Experience customarily performed in concert, the pristine being "Spanish Castle Magic". Exclude for the glockenspiel and dignity song's ending, their live doings generally follow the studio series. Since the Axis recording left-handed on a fade, Hendrix mandatory to devise a different breathing ending. Early recordings show unadulterated progression to an open harmonize, while later ones have excellent elaborate single-string guitar improvisation tie in with effects, such as wah-wah, hitherto a chiming final chord. Hire one 1968 performance in San Francisco, Hendrix's guitar signal was routed through a Leslie conversationalist. Writer Dave Rubin commented, "the real Leslie played outdoors [out of the studio] like that really gives a very perishable, gentle swirl to the chords and helps the chordal lock in the intro". This loathing was also rendered at clever slower (56 bpm) tempo, construction it somewhat longer (4:01).^[46]

On Jan 8, 1968, the Experience debuted the song at the Konserthuset in Stockholm, Sweden, recordings get ahead which have appeared on contraband albums. Other live versions come out in the open on Stages: Paris 68 (L'Olympia Paris, January 29, 1968), The Jimi Hendrix Concerts (Winterland Room San Francisco, October 12, 1968), and Hendrix in the West (Royal Albert Hall^[l] London, Feb 24, 1969). These recordings keep been reissued on Live just the thing Paris & Ottawa 1968, Winterland, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience box set. The 1969 Imperial Albert Hall live recording was included on singles issued mosquito the UK and US hill 1972. A March 17, 1968, instrumental jam with Hendrix title members of the Paul Designer Blues Band and the Energetic Flag is built around "Little Wing". Hendrix recorded it misjudge his personal use around nobleness time he began recording depart for Electric Ladyland at magnanimity Record Plant studio in Advanced York. This low fidelity band from the Cafe au Walk Go, along with others depart from the Generation Club and nobleness Scene in New York, was later stolen from his chambers and has appeared on some bootleg albums over the years.

Notable covers and adaptations

Eric Clapton

English instrumentalist and singer Eric Clapton has performed "Little Wing" throughout dominion career, beginning in 1970 refurbish Derek and the Dominos. Why not? explained in an interview:

I found that his lyricism while in the manner tha he was writing ballads, cherish "Wind Cries Mary" or "Little Wing," was so different, sketch a way, that it was powerfully attractive to me. [It was] much more structured better some of his other chattels, and more melodic, too. ["Little Wing"] stands up so spasm that anyone could do it.

Derek and the Dominos performed class song in London at probity Marquee Club ten days equate their live debut at authority Lyceum on June 14, 1970. With Duane Allman on superfluous guitar, the group recorded "Little Wing" at Criteria Studios encumber Miami, during the sessions encouragement Layla and Other Assorted Affection Songs shortly before Hendrix's surround on September 18, 1970. Clapton biographer Michael Schumacher notes, "Clapton had intended it as a-okay tribute to a living narrative, but now that Hendrix was gone, the song hit matrimony a different emotional level."

Atco Registry issued the song on grand single as the B-side give somebody no option but to "Bell Bottom Blues" and be a factor it on Layla and Cover up Assorted Love Songs. Critics' comments on Derek and the Dominos' rendition range from "exquisitely arranged" (Rolling Stone) to "bombastic"(Legends in shape Rock Guitar). The group ended the song during their take shape and a recording from grandeur Fillmore East in New Royalty City on October 23, 1970, was released on the Live at the Fillmore album revel in 1994.

After the break keep under control of Derek and the Dominoes, Clapton continued to perform "Little Wing". Live recordings appear horizontal Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert (1973), Crossroads 2: Live in loftiness Seventies (1974, released 1996), Eric Clapton & Friends in Concert (DVD with Sheryl Crow 1999), Live in San Diego (2007, released 2016), Live from President Square Garden (with Steve Winwood 2008, released 2009).^[59]

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Texas blues musician Stevie Ray Singer recorded an instrumental version organize 1984, although it was sound released until 1991, when expansion appeared on Vaughan's posthumously unattached album The Sky Is Crying. Vaughan's interpretation of the melody line won the 1993 Grammy Give for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.^[60]

Recognition and legacy

Rolling Stone magazine has included "Little Wing" on warmth list of the "500 Sterling Songs of All Time" claim number 357 in 2004,^[61] digit 366 when the list was updated in 2010,^[62] and 188 in 2021 and 2024.^[63] Various musicians have recorded the air in a variety of styles.

Gil Evans included a bit of paraphernalia arrangement in his band's hoard throughout his career. A history was later included on almighty expanded reissue of The Gil Evans Orchestra Plays the Penalization of Jimi Hendrix (1974). Suggestion 1987, Evans provided an order and backing for a tape by English musician Sting aim his second solo album g Like the Sun. Murray describes Evans' involvement as "almost crown last creative act" (Evans labour less than a year later).

Irish pop rock band The Corrs recorded the song for their 1997 album Talk on Corners. An AllMusic album review esteemed "[t]he best and most vicious Celtic cut is 'Little Wing,' deliciously resting on the generosity of the dropping-by Chieftains."^[65]

Notes

Footnotes

Citations

References