Talk:Mitch Mitchell

Picture
uh, i put up a picture. I'm pretty sure I messed up somehow, I like that picture though. &mdash;The preceding unsigned comment was added by Ezy ryder (talk • contribs).


 * you didn't mess up at all. looks great. Kingturtle 06:45, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
 * Yes that pic is the best. Don't ever get rid of that picture!

YE the article is brilliant, but i agree, is too short, not enough on his personal history and background, good pic tho i agree &mdash;The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.136.63.245 (talk • contribs).

was was was
all of this use of the past tensse makes it sound like he's dead... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 65.96.41.169 (talk) 00:44, 28 December 2006 (UTC).

He is dead - Portland Oregon, Benson Hotel, 3:30 AM PST 11-12-08 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.216.178.4 (talk) 20:00, 12 November 2008 (UTC)

I met him in 2001 or 2002, he told me his heart would kill him. He said it had been giving him problems since he was young. MaxCosta (talk) 02:38, 13 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Poor fucker. He was one of the all-time greats on drums. He's in fact the one who introduced James Marshall to James Marshall if you catch my meaning. The 2nd Marshall worked in a shop where Mitchell bought kit and gave jazz drumming lessons. Jimi thought the connection was propitious - both had essentially the same name - and decided there on the spot he'd go with the retro vacuum tube amps the other James Marshall invented. Great story, naturally it is true, but I don't have a ref to it unfortunately. We'll be looking! Cheers.

Category:Child actors
I was a bit surprised to find his name listed in Category:Child actors, and there's nothing in the article to substantiate that he was, in fact, a child actor. If he really was one, something about it should be added to the article; otherwise he should be removed from the category. Cgingold (talk) 08:16, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

He was a child actor in the UK - in fact he was an 'Ovaltiney' in the adverts for the malted drink, Ovaltine - and had to make a choice during his teens over music or acting. Its in his Obit in The Times today, cheers. Gavin. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 155.136.80.160 (talk) 13:35, 14 November 2008 (UTC)

Style Section
The "style" section sounds like whoever wrote it had a pretty big hard-on for this guy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.68.184.224 (talk) 21:03, 13 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Yeah but it seems pretty spot on if you know anything about percussion techniques. Just because you or someone else hasn't a clue doesn't mean such a technical article section should not be used. On the contrary. I definitely don't have a hard-on for MM but I know what a fantastic drummer he was. And if you've ever been in a three piece rock setup then you know how important it is for each instrument to do all that's possible to 'fill the gaps'. I don't think the author had wet dreams about MM and technically I find his description totally spot on. So I say we don't object. OK? Good.
 * For further information see the links already in the article to allmusic [DOT[ com. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.217.213.177 (talk) 21:14, 13 November 2008 (UTC)

First off, you don't need to suck your own dick over your drumming prowess. Secondly, I'm not objecting to a technical breakdown of the man's style. But it sounds irrefutably biased when you say things like

"the spacey breakdown section features polyrythmic drum fills that float" and "delicate cymbal playing that evokes the sound of wind chimes" and "powerful drum fills that help to propel the song to new heights"

All of those are subjective. Polyrhythmic drum fills may sound like they float to you and me, but they may sound completely different to someone else. And maybe the cymbals sound nothing like wind chimes to some people. And propelling the song to new heights is purely your interpretation of the song. So when I said you sound biased, I meant it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.68.184.224 (talk) 21:30, 13 November 2008 (UTC)

Cause of Death
Hopefully someone will put in the true cause later. At least we know he wasn't murdered.

As stated above, natural causes is not sufficient as a cause; it certainly will not state that on the death certificate. When someone has died, one the most common questions people want answering is "what did he die of?" Werdnawerdna (talk) 14:10, 19 November 2008 (UTC)

Family and personal life
The article doesn't mention either. Readers of biographies want to know about those things; they should be included. Werdnawerdna (talk) 14:10, 19 November 2008 (UTC)

Year of Birth
To User:BGC, you've twice changed Mitch's birth year to 1946. Could you please give your source for this?. Ta, Dickdock (talk) 11:56, 8 December 2008 (UTC)

"In his book about the Experience, Mitchell claimed he celebrated his 21st. birthday while on tour on 9 July 1967, which makes his birth year 1946" It makes no sense why Mitchell would state, completely out of context in a book that "I celebrated my 21st birthday in 1946" If he would've wanted to clarify his date of birth he would've stated that year and not count from 21 down. I've added a reference to Encyclopedia Britannica, while the 46-ers have magazines such as NY Times who are not encyclopedists, they where printing a stories at the time of his death. Editors comment "In his autobiography, Mitch says "I had my 21st birthday on the tour" (tour with The Monkees in july 1967" notice the quote does not contain a reference to the '67 tour, but the editors comment does. Hence this is unsourced. Addeps3 (talk) 09:32, 15 July 2015 (UTC) This has been refactored by Addeps3 (talk) on 20–21 March 2018 (see diff):

&bull; &bull; &bull; &bull; &bull; --Raid5 (talk) 16:42, 16 June 2015 (UTC) reverted my own comment --Raid5 (talk) 19:02, 22 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Mitch Mitchell: born 9 July 1947 and died November 12, 2008


 * Please ”never edit or move someone's comment to change its meaning, even on your own talk page. Generally, you should not break up another editor's text by interleaving your own replies to individual points; this confuses who said what and obscures the original editor's intent. In your own posts you may wish to use the or  templates to quote others' posts.” (Editing others' comments) Maybe it was a mistake. --Raid5 (talk) 19:02, 22 March 2018 (UTC)

More Highlights on Mitch's drums
There are some other great examples of Mitchell's drumming showcased on the band's first album. I realize only a few can make it into the article, but wanted to make sure these were considered too!!!

The mini-rock concerto in Love Or Confusion: Mitch's drums are again amazing, but he uses a ride cymbal like not heard in rock prior to this album

Up From The Skies: Bold As Love's second track, very jazzy, with all of the triplet tricks of before, but not on the snare this time, on toms, and I believe, if I am not mistaken, I hear brushes?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.142.74.42 (talk) 17:26, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

Equipment missing citations
The equipment section asserts he used Ludwig drums with remo heads but cites no references. Neglects to mention he also used Premier drums. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Stix67 (talk • contribs) 21:33, 13 May 2016 (UTC)

2/5–7/2017 Reference edits
The references in question are Findmypast.com, Familysearch.org, and Hendrix-in-deutschland.blogspot.co.uk. These appear to be user generated and not subject to fact checking, editorial oversight, etc. In short, they do not meet WP:VERIFIABILITY. Mitchell is written about in many books by credible authors. Why are five (5) problematic sources necessary for his name, birth and death dates in the first sentence? Since this is not controversial, one WP:RELIABLESOURCE should be sufficient. These are the seven (7) references I removed: I also removed a link to youtube. It features a performance of a copyrighted song, with no indication that there is a copyright clearance (it appears to be an amateur upload). Such links fall under WP:ELNEVER. Better sources are available that don't have RS problems. —Ojorojo (talk) 20:42, 7 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Lawrence book – no page number is provided and since it was published before his death, it is of limited use.
 * Family Search #1 shows "State California" after his birth date. He was born in England.
 * Find My Past #1 This only provides birth year (and quarter?). Again, it is of limited use.
 * Hendrix in Deutschland fan blog Fan blogs are usually not considered a reliable source "except those written by a recognized authority (see WP:ELNO #11). There is no indication that this is such an authority.
 * Find My Past #1 (again). This does not support that he was born in Ealing, just Middlesex county, so it is of limited use.
 * Find My Past #2 & Find My Past #3 This is just a marriage record and doesn't show that Mitchell is their son. Again, it's of limited value.
 * Propose to replace 1), 2) Lawrence, 3) Familysearch, 4) & 5) Findmypast (two occurrences), and 6) Hendrix-in-Deutschland with Mitchell's obituary in The Guardian (a reliable source) that includes his birth and death dates and locations. —Ojorojo (talk) 14:58, 11 February 2017 (UTC)

It ain't my problem if you are unable to process data - several of your comments suggest you simply don't understand what you're even seeing. Only on Wikipedia could an article have a false birth year and middle name in place for severel years with no legitimate references = and when both details are corrected with multiple references, could another editor turn up and start removing those references. You are the only person who has an issue here.


 * A review of WP:BOLD, revert, discuss cycle as well as policies about verifiabilty and reliable sources would be beneficial. —Ojorojo (talk) 20:59, 1 March 2017 (UTC)


 * The entry you quote Find My Past #1 is just a copy of the GRO Index entry for the birth which will be the official register entry for his birth which was recorded in the third quarter (July - September) of 1946. This would have been in the 1947 registrations for the birth year quoted by the Guardian to be correct. Keith D (talk) 19:17, 5 October 2017 (UTC)

What? I've no idea what you wrote above - if the birth is recorded in the third quarter of 1946, then the birth was in 1946 not 1947. There only ever an overlap in the fourth quarter.

See also official documentation here

http://hendrix-in-deutschland.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/16-mai-1967-big-apple-munchen.html

People can quote all these publications, but they're all based on Wikipedia - official documents shows the correct birth year. Maybe someone can provide a birth record for 1947. Thought not. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.97.205.123 (talk) 18:27, 10 November 2017 (UTC)


 * Another reference used in the article gives an age of 62, which would point to a 1946 birth. Keith D (talk) 19:32, 5 October 2017 (UTC)

If different dates are given by reliable sources, this may be a case of WP:Conflicting sources. So far: These would be considered reliable sources: 12 out of 15 show "61" or "1947", 3 show "62" (in bold). Any more? —Ojorojo (talk) 20:40, 5 October 2017 (UTC)
 * BBC – "The 61-year-old was discovered ..."
 * Billboard (magazine) – "He was 62."
 * Drummerworld – "Mitch Mitchell July 9, 1947 - November 12, 2008"
 * Encyclopædia Britannica – "Mitch Mitchell (John Mitchell), (born July 9, 1947, ..."
 * The Guardian – "Mitch Mitchell, who has died aged 61 ..."
 * Los Angeles Times – "He was 61."
 * NME – "Obituary: Mitch Mitchell 1947-2008"
 * New York Times – "Mitch Mitchell Dies at 62"
 * NPR – "He was 61.']
 * The Oregonian (Portland paper where he died) – "Born in England in 1947, John "Mitch" Mitchell ..."
 * Rolling Stone – "at the age of 62."
 * The Telegraph – "John Mitchell was born at Ealing, west London, on July 9 1947 ..."
 * Variety (magazine) – "He was 61."
 * Colin Larkin (writer), The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise 4th Edition) – "John 'Mitch' Mitchell (b. 9 July 1947, Ealing, Middlesex, England)"
 * Harry Shapiro (author), Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy – (John Mitchell, born Ealing, Middlesex, 9 July 1947)
 * The Rockin' 60s: The People Who Made the Music By Brock Helander has 1946
 * The 100 Greatest Bands of All Time: A Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World edited by David V. Moskowitz as 1946.
 * Probably need to have both in the article rather than picking one or the other.Keith D (talk) 22:34, 5 October 2017 (UTC)
 * Added a couple more. In his book, Inside the Experience, Mitchell doesn't mention his birthdate.  Anyway, propose to include both years with references only to the above sources/authors that have WP articles.  This would prevent the re-adding of earlier problematic sources.  The first sentence would look like this:
 * John Graham "Mitch" Mitchell (9 July 1946 or 1947 – 12 November 2008) Mitchell's obituaries in Billboard, the New York Times, and Rolling Stone indicate that he was 62 years old at the time of his death (making his birth year 1946). Other obituaries and writers have indicated he was 61 or was born on 9 July 1947: BBC, Drummerworld, Encyclopædia Britannica, The Guardian,  Los Angeles Times, NME, NPR,  The Oregonian, The Telegraph Variety, Colin Larkin in The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise 4th Edition), and Harry Shapiro in Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy. was an English drummer who was best known for his work in the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
 * The infobox would show:
 * Born   9 July 1946 or 1947
 * Ealing, Middlesex, England


 * If there are no substantive objections I'll add this. —Ojorojo (talk) 15:06, 6 October 2017 (UTC)

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/57073641_mitch-mitchell-hendrix-era-passport

The passport is final evidence, all footnotes should point to that link. User:Addeps3 (talk) 16:23, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

I don't know whether a source like this can be actively used on an article, but no one can realistically argue this point now. An original passport that has just been auctioned, clearly showing the birht year as being 1946. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.97.205.123 (talk) 18:32, 10 November 2017 (UTC)

[the following was copied from User talk:Ojorojo because it is more appropriate for this talk page]

Please desist from your nonsense repeat edits to this article (and from what I can tell, you have yet to actually contribute constructively). You are the only editor reverting my factual and referenced edits, apart from the occasional editor that changes the birth year based on false information from a handful of obits. The incorrect birth year has no place on Wikipedia - employment records, birth records AND passport information confirm the information. It isn't a coincidence that a newly auctioned passport has 1946 at his year of birth. It's interesting that you blind reverted my edit with your stock edit summary, without reading the talk page yourself. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.145.178.105 (talk) 17:29, 12 November 2017 (UTC)
 * A passport is not independent proof of the date of a person's birth; it merely shows what the person provided at the time of the application. Those born without a birth certificate or unable to locate it could swear in an affidavit as to their birthdate.  The 15 different reliable sources that I added show both years and are not "nonsense repeat edits".  Your repeated attempts to add blog-type and other low quality references for just one year and to remove the rest amounts to disruptive editing.  If you want, open an WP:RfC for more input. —Ojorojo (talk) 22:46, 12 November 2017 (UTC)

Thank you for the reference to the passport, the question is finally settled. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.217.8.180 (talk) 16:18, 21 March 2018 (UTC)


 * In his autobiography, Mitch says "I had my 21st birthday on the tour" (tour with The Monkees in july 1967). Case closed I would say. 1946. -Unsigned IP (87.116.177.34) 22 December 2017
 * Finished the job with an inline cite to the book. —Ojorojo (talk) 18:11, 22 December 2017 (UTC)

Mitchell gives birthday in his book
In Mitchell and co-writer John Platt's book Jimi Hendrix: Inside the Experience (1990), they explain: "I had my 21st birthday on the tour, the second day in fact, when we were on board the private plane at Jacksonville about to travel to Miami for a second gig. [p. 68]"

In the "Tour Itinerary" chapter, they add under the 1967 July heading: "Sat 8 Jacksonville, Florida Sun 9 Jackie Gleason Memorial Hall, Miami (Mitch's 21st birthday) Florida [p. 173]"

Simple arithmetic (1967 minus 21 equals 1946) places his birthdate as 9 July 1946. The 1947 date given by Encyclopedia Britannica and others is also included in the "Early days" section of the WP article with citations (see WP:Conflicting sources and WP:NOTOR). The date that Mitchell gives in his book (and found in other reliable sources: Billboard, the New York Times, and Rolling Stone) is used for the lead and infobox. —Ojorojo (talk) 15:10, 21 March 2018 (UTC)

Doesn't make sense this lot, cheers
. Over the objection of the tour manager, Mitchell protested over the concerns of the tour manager and drum tech asked to be allowed to "catch up on sleep" and then to be picked up after a few days rest and to be driven back up to the Seattle area by tour roadies. From Seattle, he had planned to return to his home in England. The tour manager, respected Mitchell's request but with spoken reservations about its wisdom. The tour manager's concern was validated when Mitchell died in his sleep that same night. Press reports that he died from alcohol-related problems are contradicted by Mitchell's health history and are not accurate.[citation needed] Mitchell was the last surviving member of the original Jimi Hendrix Experience 2003:C7:773A:1930:A1EE:133E:5DCB:C0B5 (talk) 00:43, 19 October 2022 (UTC)