Jimi Hendrix producer Alan Douglas dies at 81

Jimi Hendrix producer Alan Douglas dies at 81

The 81-year-old music and film producer Alan Douglas passed away at his home in Paris on June 7. He was well known for his long association with guitar icon Jimi Hendrix, even if often badmouthed for leading Hendrix down a more unconventional path in life - and then for how he managed Hendrix’s music after the guitarist's death.

Douglas and Hendrix met right after the guitarist’s performance at Woodstock festibal, in 1969; the producer and helped Jimi to free his creative flow, paving the way for the more adventurous recordings that would mark his final period - "Jimi was being pigeonholed into the rock thing", he said. "I got a lot of heat for showing people this different side of Jimi but it didn’t matter. It was what he wanted to do. So, together we tried out all kinds of things - but, tragically, he died before we could do anything super special".

Douglas curated the very first batch of Hendrix’s archival recordings for release, in 1975: "Crash Landing" (certified gold) and "Midnight Lightning". Douglas was heavily criticized for dubbing in some new musical parts, but later Hendrix drummer Mitch Mitchell later backed the decision, saying some of the playing on these rough demos was substandard.

Under Douglas' supervision, Hendrix’s initial three recordings underwent their first major remastering. Additional recordings of Hendrix at Monterey, Winterland and Woodstock were made available for the first time. Then albums like 1980′s "Nine to the Universe" and 1994′s platinum-selling "Jimi Hendrix: Blues", which helped frame the influences of jazz and roots music, respectively, on the guitarist, as well.

"Blues" was Douglas’ last major work for the Hendrix estate, which is now being overseen by the guitarist’s family.

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