Michael Jeffery (manager)

This article is about the music business manager. For other people with the same name, see Michael Jeffery (disambiguation).

Michael Frank Jeffery (born March 1933 in Peckham, London^[1] - died 5 March 1973) was a music business manager of the 1960s who is best known for his management of British band The Animals and American guitarist-composer Jimi Hendrix, whom he co-managed for a time with former Animals bassist Chas Chandler. A former associate of noted British pop impresario Don Arden, Jeffery was and remains a controversial figure. He was killed in 1973 in a mid-air collision over Nantes, France, whilst aboard an Iberia Airlines DC-9.

Beginnings

Mike Jeffery started his career in music as the owner/manager of venues in Newcastle upon Tyne in northern England; the Marimba coffee bar and the Downbeat jazz club. Eric Burdon of the Animals was a patron of the latter, which eventually became a beat music venue featuring local bands such as The Alan Price Combo (originally The Pagans and soon to be The Animals) as well as The Kylastrons and The Invaders.

After the club was closed due to fire regulations, both establishments burned down. Jeffery then opened the Club A’Gogo in partnership with Ray Grehan, sales manager for the Automaticket company. The Club A'Gogo was to become Newcastle's most celebrated venue, particularly after it was the subject of a best-selling song by The Animals who were house band there (to be replaced by The Junco Partners when they became an international act), and saw 1960s concerts by Captain Beefheart, Cream, Fleetwood Mac, The Graham Bond Organisation, Howlin’ Wolf, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Yardbirds among others. It attracted younger Newcastle clientele such as Sting and Bryan Ferry.^[2]

The Animals

Jeffery contracted to manage The Animals and obtained a recording contract with Columbia, the recordings to be produced by Mickie Most. After the success of their second record "The House of the Rising Sun" the Animals embarked on a tour of the USA. Despite this success Jeffery has been openly condemned by members of The Animals, who blame him for the breakup of the band, claiming that he worked the group into the ground and appropriated most of their earnings.

Jimi Hendrix

When Chas Chandler decided to move into management himself and signed Jimi Hendrix, he needed financial support to launch The Experience and so went into partnership with his old manager, with very mixed feelings. Hence Jeffrey became co-manager of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, taking care of business while Chandler produced.^[3]

Jeffery has received almost unanimous criticism from biographers of Hendrix. Several have alleged that Jeffery siphoned off much of Hendrix's income and channeled it into off-shore bank accounts, that Jeffery had dubious connections to US intelligence services (it has been reported^{[by whom?]} that insiders often claimed that he worked for MI5, British Secret Intelligence and that he had connections to European organised crime). When Experience bassist Noel Redding inquired as to where Jeffery was going with briefcases of the band's money, he was asked to leave. Jeffery was played by actor Billy Zane in the movie Hendrix.

In October 2006 a $15 million auction took place of items of Michael Jeffery's estate including the rights to many of Jimi Hendrix's hits including "Purple Haze" and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)". Experience Hendrix, a company formed and owned by Hendrix's family, have said they will prove they own the titles to these songs and that they intend to sue.^[4]

Hendrix death allegation

Jimi Hendrix died on 18 September 1970 at St. Mary Abbotts Hospital, Kensington, London. He was found unconscious that morning at ca. 11:00 in the basement flat of Monika Dannemann, who was Hendrix's girlfriend at that time. In May 2009 the UK media reported claims that Michael Jeffery had murdered Jimi Hendrix. James "Tappy" Wright, who was a roadie for The Animals in the 1960s, claimed he met Michael Jeffery in 1971, one year after Hendrix's death, and Jeffery confessed to having murdered Hendrix by plying him with pills and a bottle of wine^[5] in order to kill him and claim on the guitarist's life insurance.

Jeffery is quoted by Wright as telling him: "I was in London the night of Jimi's death and together with some old friends.. we went 'round to Monika's hotel room, got a handful of pills and stuffed them into his mouth...then poured a few bottles of red wine deep into his windpipe." The manager was allegedly worried that Hendrix was about to sack him.

In May 1968 Chandler & Jeffery took out a life insurance [not $2 as Wright incorrectly has claimed] on Jimi Hendrix. Details of payment (when and how much) have not been revealed, but it is understood that no money was paid out while Michael Jeffery was alive. It should also be noted that Michael Jeffery may have been in Majorca, Spain (confirmed by three people thus far) and not in London when Jimi Hendrix died...

At the time of Hendrix's death, the coroner recorded an "open verdict," stating that the cause was "barbiturate intoxication and inhalation of vomit". However Dr. John Bannister, the doctor who attempted to resuscitate Hendrix has mentioned the possibility that Hendrix actually died from forced inhalation of copious amounts of red wine. The pathologist, Prof. Teare, failed to detect any wine when he performed an autopsy on Jimi Hendrix. In fact the alcohol level detected by Prof Teare was so low it would have failed the drink-drive test in 1970. ^[6][7] This is still considered controversial, as the wine that may have been forced down Hendrix's throat would not have got into his bloodsteam.

References

1. ^ Mike Jeffery, mystery man. Who was he?
2. ^ History of the Club A'Gogo at http://www.readysteadygone.co.uk/club-agogo-newcastle/
3. ^ Saunders, William (2010) Jimi Hendrix London Roaring Forties Press ISBN 978-0-9843165-1-9
4. ^ BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Hendrix family disputes song sale
5. ^ Independent | Hendrix murdered by his manager, says former aide
6. ^ [1]
7. ^ source: NME.com via news.yahoo.com; eddietrunk.com/

Persondata
Name	Jeffery, Michael
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1933
Place of birth
Date of death	5 March 1973
Place of death