Live Dates
Listed here are all documented live appearances of "Curtis Knight and..." -several possibilities. So far four different aliases for the band are known, all used within a 9 month period:
- the Lovelights
- Curtis Knight and the Lovers
- Curtis Knight
- Curtis Knight and the Squires
Rather than make multiple entries for what is in fact one and the same band build around Curtis Knight and Jimi Hendrix I`ve listed the band alias used for each performance, and the people playing - if known. The group didn`t in the beginning really have a steady line-up, whoever was available seems to have been called in to play any given gig (as evidenced by at least three line-ups playing at George`s Club 20 within the space of two months or so).
Only when the band got signed to RSVP in June 1966 seems the line-up to have settled and "Curtis Knight and the Squires" became the official name for the group.
Rather than duplicate everything that I have written elsewhere on the site I have included a link to a separate article with more info when available and just included a short summary of it here.
Sunday 26 December 1965
Probably appearing as the Lovelights
George's Club 20, Hackensack, New Jersey
Unconfirmed line-up:
Curtis Knight - vocals
Jimi Hendrix - guitar
Harry Jensen - guitar
Ace Hall - bass
Lonnie Youngblood? - sax
Ditto Edwards - drums
This is one of the two dates that the Curtis Knight live recordings were made on, see the"live recordings" -page for more information. Curtis introduces the band as the Lovelights with "The fabulous Jimmy James" but states that it`s "Handsome Harry on lead guitar" so this may be the earlier recording of the two when Jimi wasn`t yet dominating the guitar playing in the band.
Saturday 22 January 1966
Probably appearing as the Lovelights
George's Club 20, Hackensack, New Jersey
Unconfirmed line-up:
Curtis Knight - vocals & rhythm guitar
Jimi Hendrix - guitar & vocals
Harry Jensen - bass
Ace Hall - tambourine
Lonnie Youngblood? - sax?
George Bragg - drums
This is one of the two dates that the Curtis Knight live recordings were made on, see the"live recordings" -page for more information. This recording has, according to Curtis` introduction, "Harry on the bass" so Jimi may have by now been promoted to play lead guitar all by himself making this the later recording of the two. Curtis does not mention the name of the band.
DECEMBER 1965 - January 1966?
Probably appearing as the Lovelights
George's Club 20, Hackensack, New Jersey
Curtis Knight - vocals
Jimi Hendrix - guitar
Ace Hall - bass
Lonnie Youngblood - sax
Ditto Edwards - drums
Ace Hall was shown the pictures below and he identified this location as George's Club 20, Hackensack, New Jersey. According to him the Squires were the house band during weekends. The date when these were taken is unknown but they are likely to be from the December 1965 - January 1966 -period. As there is no trace at all of Harry Jensen these pictures may have been taken after the two previous Hackensack dates. In any case they are clearly not from either of the two recorded shows as the tapes have Curtis introducing the band members on stage and the line-up seen here does not match either date.
Faye Pridgeon, Jimi Hendrix
Extreme trivia bonus: the cardboard box that supports Jimi`s mic stand in the pictures is for the brand "Ballantine" made by a local New Jersey brewery. Wikipedia informs us: "The company was founded in 1840 in Newark, New Jersey, by Peter Ballantine (1791–1883), who emigrated from Scotland." So if you ever wondered what the clientele was drinking while listening to the band now you know... too bad the label of the beer bottle on the table is unreadable!
SATURDAY 26 February 1966
Appearing as (Curtis Knight and?) the Lovers
Memorial Chapel, Union College, Schenectady, New York
Jimi Hendrix - guitar
Ace Hall? - bass
A picture shows Jimi on stage backing the Ronettes with speaker cabinets that have "The Lovers" written on them. Unfortunately very little is visible of the other musicians on stage. Only half of the bass players face can be seen from behind Jimi but it does look like it could be Ace Hall. It is however impossible to be sure.
This may have been a "solo" gig for the Lovers backing other artists without Curtis Knight appearing. This picture and others were published in Univibes issue #73.
Thursday 17 March 1966 - Wednesday 6? April 1966
Appearing as Curtis Knight and the Lovers
Eighth Wonder, New York City, New York
Curtis Knight - vocals
Jimi Hendrix - guitar
Ace Hall - bass
Ace Hall (bass player with the band) mentions this gig in an interview video released by Experience Hendrix to promote the Dagger Records release of Curtis Knight live recordings. The mention comes at 1.54 when Ace says the band played Trude Heller`s 1, a famous New York City nightspot:
It`s very likely that Ace`s memories are a bit fuzzy (but mainly accurate) here. I have found nothing to indicate that there would have been a gig at Trude Heller`s but there WAS a three week booking at the Eight Wonder which was run by Trude Heller`s son, Joel Heller.
Wed, Mar 16, 1966 – 129 · Daily News (New York, New York, United States of America) · Newspapers.com
Fri, Mar 18, 1966 – 565 · Daily News (New York, New York, United States of America) · Newspapers.com
Producer and musician Danny Kortchmar, in 1966 a member of King Bees, talked about this booking in Billboard in 2001: 2
"The camaraderie among musicians in mid-1960s Greenwich Village often led to extraordinary events, he says. Arriving at Trudy Hellers to rehearse one afternoon, for example, Kortchmar and his group, the Kingbees, witnessed Curtis Knight & the Lovers, then featuring Hendrix on guitar, auditioning for a spot on the club's roster.
"The organ player with the Kingbees recognized Jimi right away, from the Isley Brothers and Little Richard," Kortchmar says. "Jimi wasn't unknown: He was known on the chitlin circuit as a bad dude. They were playing the hits of the day, like we all were. Our jaws hit the floor. I'd never seen anything like it in my life.
"The irony is they didn't get the gig, which is hilarious because they were worlds better than we were," he adds. "I used to run into Jimi once in a while after that. One night at the Kettle of Fish, he was playing with Eric Clapton and John Hammond, and I ended up playing bass. Our paths crossed a bunch of times. It was a really active scene—a lot of people were passing through." 5
Danny Kortchmar, like Ace Hall, talks about Trude Heller's when the location most likely was the Eighth Wonder as that is where both bands were booked. It may well have been that all the musicians in NYC just called the place "Trude Heller's" regardless, or it is of course possible Curtis Knight & the Lovers did audition for Trude Heller's but were booked for the Eighth Wonder instead.
Either way most of the story checks out: Curtis Knight & the Lovers started a three week (supposedly, no confirmed end date known at present) booking at the Eighth Wonder on Thursday 17 March 1966 and King Bees started their (unknown length) booking on Tuesday 19 April 1966. 4 So both bands did indeed play at the same club and there probably was an audition or rehearsal where they met since Kortchmar remembers one.
The part about Curtis Knight not getting the gig doesn't seem correct though as actually both bands were booked and the chronology seems wrong as the Lovers were the first ones to appear at the club. So something has probably been lost in the mists of time here but remarkably Kortchmar even remembered the name that the band was using at the time so his recollections seem rather sharp in general. With both Ace Hall and Kortchmar saying that Jimi was in the band for this booking I consider this date confirmed.
King Bees released three singles in the US in 1965 - 1966, these are all available on the download / streaming only RCA Singles compilation from 2018:
Friday 15 April 1966
Appearing as Curtis Knight & Squires
Matawan-Keyport Roller Drome, Matawan, New Jersey
Curtis Knight - vocals
Jimi Hendrix? - guitar
A month after the previous known date when the band was booked as "Curtis Knight and the Lovers" they are now billed as "Curtis Knight & Squires". It`s unconfirmed whether Jimi played this gig but it`s likely that he did. On the same day there was a King Curtis recording session (see Timeline) but there is no guitar playing audible at all on the one released track, "He`ll Have To Go". Of course Jimi may have done both the studio session and the live gig but based on available evidence it`s more likely that he just played with the Squires.
The "Battle Of Bands" listed for the following week in the ad below featured the Castiles with Bruce Springsteen on lead guitar and vocals. The Roller Drome would probably be quite a legendary venue by now but unfortunately the building burned down 12 August 1968.
FEBRUARY-MAY? 1966
Unknown location
Curtis Knight - vocals
Jimi Hendrix - guitar
Ace Hall - bass
Marion Booker - drums
Unknown location but with Ace Hall still on bass (later shows and recordings seem to all have Napoleon "Hank" Anderson on bass) and Marion Booker on drums appearing as a new face (Marion seems to have drummed on all of the shows and recordings that followed). So these photos were probably taken circa February - May 1966.
Note that the pictures have been taken during two different gigs at the same location, in one of the pictures the band is wearing white shirts, in the other the shirts are dark.
Thursday 12 May 1966 - Wednesday 18 May 1966
Appearing as Curtis Knight
Cheetah, New York City, New York
Curtis Knight - vocals
Jimi Hendrix - guitar
Curtis Knight was booked to appear at the Cheetah at least twice in 1966. Information about the duration of this first booking is a bit contradictory but 12 May - 18 May 1966 would seem to be correct. Read more about the Cheetah gigs on the "Jimi Hendrix And Cheetah" -page.
AD IN "VILLAGE VOICE" 12 MAY 1966
Friday 10 June 1966
New York City, New York
The Squires sign a contract with RSVP records. The signing members listed included Napoleon Anderson, Nathaniel Edmonds, Marion Booker and Jimmy Hendrix. As the line-up now seems to have solidified enough for the individual members to be signed to a contract I assume the rest of the gigs would mainly have been done with the musicians listed.
2 July 1966
Probably appearing as Curtis Knight and the Squires
Ondine Discotheque, New York City, New York
Curtis Knight - vocals
Jimi Hendrix - guitar
Napoleon "Hank" Anderson - bass
Nate Edmonds - organ
Marion Booker - drums
The Rolling Stones saw Jimi perform at Ondine, Bill Wyman reported in his book "Stone Alone" that after a 2 July 1966 Stones concert in New York City the band went to Ondine and saw Hendrix. Mick Jagger also reminisced about this in "A Film About Jimi Hendrix". There may have been other occasions that the Stones could have visited Ondine and seen Jimi but since Wyman`s book is based on his diaries the 2 July 1966 date seems to be the correct one. This would probably have been at least a one week booking.
The date of the photos is unknown but they have been confirmed to be from Ondine and the line-up is the same as listed in the June 1966 RSVP contract. Two previously unseen pictures were included on the Dagger Records "Live At George`s Club 20" -lp and these show the whole band on stage including Nate Edmonds and Marion Booker.
You can read more about the club on the Ondine Discotheque -page.
June - August? 1966
Probably appearing as Curtis Knight and the Squires
Village Purple Onion, New York City, New York
Curtis Knight - vocals
Jimi Hendrix - guitar
Napoleon "Hank" Anderson - bass
Nate Edmonds - organ
Marion Booker - drums
The only evidence for this gig is a single photo, probably posed before or after the gig as Jimi and Hank are looking straight into the camera and there is no audience to be seen. The date is unknown 3 but since Nate Edmons (organ) and Marion Booker (drums) are in the band this shot probably dates from circa June - August 1966.
Thursday? 4? August 1966 - Wednesday 10 August 1966
Appearing as Curtis Knight and the Squires
Cheetah, New York City, New York
Curtis Knight - vocals
Jimi Hendrix? - guitar
Napoleon "Hank" Anderson? - bass
Nate Edmonds? - organ
Marion Booker? - drums
Cash Box 30 July 1966 issue reported: "Cheetah will be rocking for the next two weeks to the wild sounds of Mike St. Shaw and the Prophets, which had a tremendous success during it`s recent months at the Downtown, plus Curtis Knight and the Squires." Read more about the Cheetah gigs on the "Jimi Hendrix And Cheetah" -page.
Jimi is unlikely to have played during these dates as he had a gig at the Cafe Wha? with the Blue Flame. Linda Keith took Chas Chandler of the Animals to see Jimi at the Cafe Wha? on or around 3 August, see the Timeline.
A picture of the Cheetah marquee for these gigs can be seen in a posting on the College No. 9 -blog (last picture on the page).
June - August? 1966
Probably appearing as Curtis Knight and the Squires
Unknown location
Curtis Knight - vocals
Jimi Hendrix - guitar
Napoleon "Hank" Anderson - bass
Nate Edmonds - organ
Marion Booker - drums
The date and location are unknown but since Nate Edmons (organ) and Marion Booker (drums) are in the band these pictures probably date from circa June - August 1966. These shots have been thought to have been taken at Cheetah based on the outfits that the band is wearing but in reality that does NOT appear to be the case, see the "Cheetah pictures" -page for more info.
Monday 15 August 1966 (- Monday 22 August 1966?)
Appearing as Curtis Knight and the Squires
Lighthouse Cafe, New York, New York City
Curtis Knight - vocals
Jimi Hendrix? - guitar
Napoleon "Hank" Anderson? - bass
Nate Edmonds? - organ
Marion Booker? - drums
Mon, Aug 15, 1966 – 158 · Daily News (New York, New York, United States of America) · Newspapers.com
There may have been more than one booking for the band at the cafe but so far this is the only confirmed date that I have found. As only one ad seems to exist this probably was the starting date of a one week booking. The "Jive Bombers" were advertized as the next band starting Tuesday 23 August.
Jimi is known to have played with the band at the Lighthouse Cafe as several people saw him there. It is however not certain that this date is the very booking that Jimi played on as he was also playing solo around the Village at this point. I do however think that there`s a good chance that this is the Lighthouse gig that Jimi DID play. King George, when asked in a Univibes interview about the last club that Jimi played before going to England, said that Jimi played "for 4-5 days" at the Lighthouse. He also mentions "hangin out" with Jimi at the club. As Jimi left for England a month after these gigs the time frame fits well.
SOURCES
1 with thanks to James Hawthorn for asking good questions
2 "Danny Kortchmar Reflects on Star-Filled Sessions, Jams", Billboard 7 July 2001, page 43
3 According to the caption in Curtis Knight's Hendrix biography "Jimi" this picture was taken at Village Purple Onion. Though he also dates this to be from 1964 which is incorrect as he didn`t even meet Jimi before 1965
4 the start of the booking is mentioned in Daily News, New York City 19 April 1966
5 note that even though you may get the impression from Kortchmar's story that the jam with John Hammond and Eric Clapton took place when Jimi was living in the Village circa 1966 Eric Clapton actually first visited USA in 1967.