One Year Before His Death, Jimi Hendrix Tried to Form a Supergroup With This Legendary Beatle

It is unfortunate that Jimi Hendrix never shared a stage with The Beatles or the individual members, and Hendrix's sudden and untimely death is to blame for that. Shortly before joining the 27 Club in 1970, Hendrix had tried to recruit a legendary Beatle to join his supergroup alongside his drummer Tony Williams and Miles Davis, and Paul McCartney was the lucky recipient of Hendrix's telegram invitation. However, this supergroup never came to be.

Jimi Hendrix Tried to Recruit Paul McCartney For an Album

At the time, Hendrix was working on an album and wanted to form a supergroup, with Williams the drummer, Davis the jazz maestro, and McCartney on bass. Hendrix and Davis were already working together in New York and were planning on recording an album together. McCartney, being one half of the iconic Lennon-McCartney songwriting duo and a member of the biggest rock band in the world, was the missing piece, as his words had topped charts alone.

Both Hendrix and McCartney were going through a phase, and a supergroup would have been perfect for the two of them so they could work through them together; Hendrix was on the rise after standout performances and his cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower” earning him his highest Billboard position. McCartney was on his way out of the Beatles, with the Fab Four heading towards separation rather than resolution. McCartney could have had his start as a soloist, and Hendrix could have earned himself a bigger name with McCartney’s influence.

On October 22, 1969, Hendrix sent a telegram which read, “We are recording and (sic) LP together this weekend. How about coming in to play bass stop? Call Alan Douglas [at] 212-5812212. Peace, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Tony Williams.” The supergroup could have been a perfect opportunity for McCartney; he is known to be a huge fan, calling Hendrix the greatest guitarist to ever live, and has seen him perform with fellow Beatle member George Harrison at the Saville Theatre in London. Hendrix also admired The Beatles, as upon learning of McCartney and Harrison’s attendance, he performed the opening title track of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club, mere days after the album's release. This impressed McCartney, who said, “I certainly loved Jimi. I was one of the first people to see him in London, and it was mind-blowing.”

Why Paul McCartney and Jimi Hendrix’s Supergroup Fell Apart

The supergroup fell apart before it even started, and it was mainly due to bad timing. Why Hendrix, Davis, and McCartney never got together to form this supergroup was because of schedules; at the time Hendrix sent the telegram, McCartney was away on holiday for two weeks, as the Fab Four's aide, Peter Brown, was there to receive the telegram.

Sadly, the sessions never came to be, with McCartney missing the telegram even after his return from his vacation. Speaking about the supergroup, McCartney revealed that he had actually never received the telegram. He said to Howard Stern in 2018, “I’ve never received one. There are lots of what ifs.” It is unknown whether Hendrix tried to reach out again, but the supergroup was ill-fated before it started. A lot of changes occurred after the telegram: The Beatles split up for good, and McCartney was left to his own devices to figure out the rest of his music career by himself. As for Hendrix, who continued with his music, tragedy was around the corner.

Jimi Hendrix and Paul McCartney’s Supergroup Was a Missed Opportunity

Sadly, there were no chances of there being a supergroup; in 1970, Hendrix tragically passed away at the age of 27, leaving his legacy and career permanently unfinished and a lot of “what ifs”. McCartney called it a missed opportunity and his death a “shame”. The world will never know what could have been. There are many "what-ifs" in music. A lot of rising stars like Hendrix are gone too soon, and collaborations failed to materialize. McCartney and Hendrix's supergroup, with McCartney’s genius and chart-topping songwriting and Hendrix’s guitar magic, is most definitely one of them.