The Mind Behind the Music - Manager Chas Chandler

Chas Chandler was the producer of the Jimi Hendrix Experience.  Although he and Jimi were said to have been polar opposites, they fit together perfectly, like yin and yang. 

Chandler began his musical career as a bassist.  He is most well known for his work as bassist of The Animals.  The animals broke up in 1966 however so Chandler was left to look for a job.  Chas first heard Jimi playing at a small bar in New York City (before Jimi became famous).  It was said that Chandler heard Hendrix playing a short riff from the song purple haze backstage and there and then took him in under is management.  Shortly afterward, Chandler convinced Jimi to relocate to London, where the guitarist would meet up with his two other band members, Mitchell and Redding. 

Chandler kept the group on task but not so much so that he stunted their creativity.  One reason why the group was so sucesssful was that their producer found the perfect balance between work, and play in order to allow the members to take their innovation to new levels, but not so much so that it hindered the timeliness of production.  The Jimi Hendrix Experience created songs in one day when producing their first album.  Money was short, and the more time in the studio, the more money was charged to the band.  Chandler made sure that songs were prepared the night before so that the band could get in and out of the studio as quickly as possible.  The song The Wind Cries Mary was written after work one night and its recording was finished by the next afternoon.  In addition, Jimi liked to play songs that were relevent in his life ona  particular day.  He would write a song, and record it the same day, writing a new song for recording the next day. 

After Jimi’s death, Chandler went on to manage and produce other rock bands, such as the English band, Slade.  In 1977, Chandler briefly played the base again for the Animas short reunion.  He died in 1996 of a brain aneurysm.