Janie Hendrix has been listening to half-brother Jimi Hendrix’s music for far longer than her big brother was alive, and has released more of his material than he ever did. As the CEO of Experience Hendrix LLC, the company that controls Jimi’s name and collects the checks, Janie is the driving business force behind Valleys of Neptune, the new Jimi album that hit shelves last week.
Here, Janie talks to us about her brother’s memorial in Renton and why Neptune won’t be the last we hear from Jimi. More of our conversation can be found at seattleweekly.com/reverb.
SW: How long have you guys been working on putting out this album?
A year.
It was recorded, what, 40 years ago? Is there a reason it took 40 years for these tracks to see the light of day?
41, actually. Well, we’ve always had a 10-year plan, and then along the 10 years we acquired other tapes, such as when we purchased tapes from Chas Chandler’s estate that created the box set. So we kind of pushed things around to be a part of the second phase, which is where we are now.
Do you know what his original intentions were for these songs?
No, we really don’t. But what we have in the vault is what we have to use. We weren’t in his head. All we know is the songs and the reels that are left behind.
What’s left for you to release?
Last year we signed an eight-year deal with Sony. You have to know that any time a record company signs a long-term contract with you, they know there’s more projects coming out.
So this isn’t the last of the original studio recordings we’ll hear from Jimi Hendrix?
Oh, no. This is just the launch of another decade of music.
Forbes reported that the Hendrix LLC made $8 million in 2009. What’s the LLC doing with the money? Is there a foundation you’re funding, or anything like that?
When my father passed away, there were beneficiaries that receive percentages of the money. As far as a foundation within the LLC, no, there’s not. I do a lot of philanthropy work, so I give a lot of my money and my time and my efforts to various foundations around the city.
Are there any plans to expand or complete the Jimi Hendrix memorial in Renton?
We did a lot this last year. Our graphic artist, through our direction, created these beautiful panels on the inside that really kind of give the story of his life. Flowers are planted every season, and we want to do something that’s really cutting-edge for the middle. But other than that it is pretty much finished.
