Home   Folkestone   News   Article

Jimi Hendrix concert in Folkestone marked with Purple Plaque

A group of music enthusiasts have unveiled a plaque to mark a piece of musical history in Folkestone.

The Folk of the Stone group revealed the purple plaque commemorating a Jimi Hendrix concert at the Hillside Social Club in 1966.

The plaque was unveiled yesterday. Photo: Mark Hourahane
The plaque was unveiled yesterday. Photo: Mark Hourahane

The plaque adorns the wall of the former Prince Albert Hotel in Rendezvous Street, and was officially opened by local musician Joe Ranger, who was an integral part of the fundraising efforts.

He said: "This was a collective effort, at least 15 years in the making.

"Some friends and I started researching in the Folkestone library in 2006, looking for exactly where Jimi would have played.

"The concert was seemingly impromptu, as there was no advertising at the time in local newspapers.

"It was the 40th anniversary that year and we had a talk with the council and some other bodies about getting a plaque up but they didn't seem that interested.

The Folk of the Stone group raised funds for the plaque. Photo: Mark Hourihane
The Folk of the Stone group raised funds for the plaque. Photo: Mark Hourihane

"It was put on the back burner for a while but now we've raised enough money for a tribute both to Jimi and to Noel Redding, who was of course from Folkestone and played with Jimi.

"It really was a piece of musical history for the town and it's important to commemorate it."

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Noel Redding was the bass player of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and he is believed to have brought the band to his mother's house after the concert commemorated by the plaque.

There, it is thought that Hendrix wanted to warm himself in front of the fireplace, but the Redding family dog was hogging the space.

This is supposed to be the inspiration for the song Fire and the line "Move over Rover/Let Jimi take over".

Folkestone resident Noel Redding and Jimi Hendrix in their heyday. Photo: John Sims
Folkestone resident Noel Redding and Jimi Hendrix in their heyday. Photo: John Sims

Mr Ranger, 51, who plays guitar for local band The Transients, hopes that the money raised will help the group with their future projects.

This will include another four plaques dedicated to music events in the world's first music town, and eventually a music wall of fame for Folkestone bands.

He continued: "We originally set out to raise £350 for the plaque, but thanks to so many donations we raised closer to £600, which means we have money in the kitty for our next projects.

"We're looking for three or four plaques in the coming months, once we have sorted permission out from the owners of the relevant buildings.

"We're also hoping to shine a light on all of the amazing bands that come out of Folkestone, something along the lines of a wall of fame near the Harbour or somewhere else.

Read more: All the latest news from Folkestone

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More