 | | Moonfish |
BBC Gloucestershire gave up-and-coming bands the chance to be part of Rock History. We asked you to submit a demo CD for the chance to play at a special concert using the first amp owned by Jimi Hendrix! Now we've narrowed it down to the final three. All the finalists will get to play at a special gig in Stroud alongside Rich Dickinson's Driving Force. That night the overall winner will be chosen and they'll have the honour of plugging into Jimi's amp for a precious 15 minutes of fame. Finalists
 | | Ruth's Curtain singer Melanie |
The finalists chosen are: (Under 18s - actually they're aged just 11!) Hard Drive, (18-25) Moonfish, and (over 25s) Ruths Curtain. Click on the links on the right of this page to listen to their demos, and BBC Radio Gloucestershire's John Rockley talking about the competition entries with Jamie Dickinson. The gig will take place at Stroud Subscription Rooms on Saturday 29th October starting at 7:30pm (Doors open 7pm). Tickets are available from the box office (tel: 01453 760900). This is the only UK show where the Hendrix amp will be used so don't miss this opportunity to hear it in all its glory. The night will also be covered by BBC TV so you may even get to see yourself on the telly! Amp history
 | | Hard Drive on stage |
So what's the story behind this superb opportunity to play on the famous amplifier? The amp is owned by Rich Dickinson from Thrupp near Stroud. He bought it in the 1970s for £65 when he was just 15 after he'd seen it advertised as an "ex Jimi Hendrix" amp. It lay gathering dust in a wardrobe until earlier this year when Rich and his son Jamie decided to try to sell it on Ebay. There it attracted huge interest and when potential buyers started asking questions about its authenticity the local lads decided to investigate a bit further. And it wasn't long before they discovered that what they owned was a piece of genuine rock'n'roll history... Marshall Amplifiers
 | | Hendrix with the amp |
Marshall spotted the Amp while it was on eBay and contacted the Dickinsons. They said that they would love to see it before it was sold and ended up assisting with the three months research which followed. This resulted in confirmation that it was Jimi’s first Marshall - a Super 100, bought in 1966 and famously used on the Monterey tour which broke Hendrix in America in 1967. Since the authentication the amp has risen in value to around £1 million and has been withdrawn for sale on the internet auction site. It means the concert in Stroud could be one of the last times that the amp is on public show! | 
