"Stepping Stone" is a song by American musician

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

. Written and produced by Hendrix, he recorded it early in 1970 with the short-lived

Band of Gypsys ''Band of Gypsys'' is a live album by Jimi Hendrix and the first without his original group, the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was recorded on January 1, 1970, at the Fillmore East in New York City with R&B musicians Billy Cox on bass and Buddy ...

lineup of Hendrix,

Billy Cox William Cox (born October 18, 1941) is an American bassist, best known for performing with Jimi Hendrix. Cox is the only surviving musician to have regularly played with Hendrix: first when both were in the Army, then in 1969 with the interim g ...

and

Buddy Miles George Allen "Buddy" Miles Jr. (September 5, 1947February 26, 2008) was an American composer, drummer, guitarist, vocalist and producer. He was a founding member of the Electric Flag (1967), a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys (1969–19 ...

. The song, with "Izabella", was released as a single by

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...

on April 8, 1970. It was the last single released by Hendrix before his death. Other versions are included on posthumous albums.

History

"Stepping Stone" first appeared, in part, when Jimi Hendrix performed at the

Woodstock Festival The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

on August 18, 1969, with an interim band, sometimes referred to as Gypsy, Sun and Rainbows. Hendrix incorporated the song's rhythm into the long rendition of " Voodoo Child (Slight Return)". The band attempted to record the song (which was then known as "Sky Blues Today") in the studio on August 30. On November 14, Hendrix and Miles recorded several takes; one is included on the 2018 compilation '' Both Sides of the Sky''. "Stepping Stone" was first played live with Cox and Miles during the second show at the

Fillmore East The Fillmore East was Promoter (entertainment), rock promoter Bill Graham (promoter), Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue (Manhattan), Second Avenue near 6th Street (Manhattan), East 6th Street on the Lower East Side section of Manhattan, ...

on December 31, 1969, and again during the first show of January 1, 1970. These were the only live performances of the song. Into 1970 the band continued work on the song at

Record Plant Studios The Record Plant was a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and last operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it produced highly influential albums, including the New York ...

, recording three takes with the name "I'm a Man" on January 7, the third of which provided the basic track with which they would work. They revisited the take on January 20, adding guitar overdubs and renaming it "Sky Blues Today", and another mix was prepared on January 22. More mixing was completed on February 12, and on February 15 the master take, which was later renamed "Stepping Stone" was recorded and subsequently prepared for release with "Izabella". The single, appearing with the name "Hendrix Band of Gypsys" was released on April 8, 1970, by

. It is included on the compilations '' Kiss the Sky'' (1984) and '' Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection'' (2001). ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said that the "fantastic blues-rocker is a stone gas." After the single release "Stepping Stone", Hendrix added to the song. On June 26, 1970, he and

Mitch Mitchell John Graham "Mitch" Mitchell (9 July 194612 November 2008)In his book about the Experience, Mitchell states he celebrated his 21st birthday while on tour on 9 July 1967, which makes his birth year 1946.Mitchell's obituaries in ''Billboard (mag ...

, who had rejoined the band, recorded new guitar and drum parts respectively. With these changes, the song was later released on '' War Heroes'' in 1972 and ''

First Rays of the New Rising Sun ''First Rays of the New Rising Sun'' is a compilation album credited to American rock musician Jimi Hendrix, issued in April 1997 on MCA Records. Featuring songs mostly intended for his planned fourth studio album, it was one of the first rele ...

'' in 1997. With drum overdubs by

Bruce Gary Bruce Gary (April 7, 1951 – August 22, 2006) was an American musician who was best known as the drummer for the music group the Knack. He was nominated for two Grammy Awards as a stage performer, producer, and recording artist. Born in Bur ...

in January 1995, it was included on ''

Voodoo Soup ''Voodoo Soup'' is a posthumous compilation album by American rock music, rock musician Jimi Hendrix, released in the United States on April 11, 1995, by MCA Records. It was one of the last Hendrix albums produced by Alan Douglas (record producer ...

''.

Personnel

Musicians *

vocals, guitars,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

(as Heaven Research Unlimited) *

bass guitar *

drums on Band of Gypsys version *

drums on '' War Heroes'' and ''

'' version *

drum overdubs on ''

'' version Additional personnel *Bob Hughes

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

References

{{Authority control 1970 songs Jimi Hendrix songs 1970 singles Songs written by Jimi Hendrix Song recordings produced by Jimi Hendrix