Fire Starter

A prominent figure on the 60s London scene, Brian Auger is one of the great missing links. A highly skilled musician, band leader and songwriter, he is, perhaps, best known for his hit version of Dylan's This Wheel's On Fire. But he was also an early pioneer of jazz-rock fusion, later hailed the 'godfather of Acid Jazz'. Now 82, he is entertainingly forthright, with tales of Hendrix, Rod Stewart and the tower of pianos that threatened to put "a huge hole in rock'n'roll". Life of Brian: Garth Cartwright

- By Garth Cartwright

"One day in 1966 I got a phone call from Chas Chandler who wanted me to come and chat with him and his new business partner, Michael Jeffrey,” Brian Auger tells RC. “Well, there was no way I was going to have anything to do with Jeffrey – he wasn’t to be trusted an inch – but I liked Chas so went along to the meeting and he told me how they had this American guitarist coming over and thought he would be brilliant fronting The Trinity. I said, ‘I’ve a guitarist and a singer – what am I expected to do? Leave them on the pavement? No, thanks.’ I’d only had the band together about three months and was really happy with how our sound was developing so wasn’t about to break it up. But I could see Chas wanted to do something with this guitarist – they hadn’t even mentioned his name – so I suggested they bring him along to our gig at The Cromwellian on Thursday – this was a Monday. Everyone who was anyone would be at The Cromwellian, so it was a showcase for them, and Chas said, ‘That’s a great idea!’ On Thursday they turn up with this young American guy and I finally learn his name when they introduce him: Jimi Hendrix. I have a chat with him, and he seems to be a really nice guy: polite, friendly. So, I ask him what he’d like to play, and he shows me the chords for what turns out to be Hey Joe. So, we invite him up for our second set and he starts to play and…