Extremely early DS, signed “Jimmy Hendrix,” one page both sides, 8.5 x 14, March 30, 1966. A popular songwriters contract between RSVP Music, Inc., and "Jimmy Hendrix," in which the latter "hereby sells, assigns, transfers and delivers…a certain heretofore unpublished original musical composition…now entitled: 'I Aint Taking Care of No Business,' for the sum of $1.00. In exchange, Hendrix is to receive royalties of five cents per copy for each piano or dance orchestration of the song sold by the company. Additionally, Hendrix is to receive 50% of all proceeds from foreign sales of the piano/orchestration copies and 50% of the proceeds from the sale of all phonograph records. Signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by Hendrix, and countersigned below by Jerry Simon, owner of the New York independent record label RSVP, which licensed the songs from producer Ed Chalpin of PPX Records. In fine condition. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from REAL.
In May 1966, Hendrix, then a relatively unknown guitarist for Curtis Knight and the Squires, was noticed by Linda Keith, girlfriend of Keith Richards, while playing in a New York City club. Keith connected him with budding manager Chas Chandler and Hendrix was soon flying to London to sign a contract. On Chandler's urging, Hendrix changed the spelling of his first name, and in the fall of 1966 the Jimi Hendrix Experience came to be. The song 'I Ain't Taking Care of No Business' was released by Capitol Records on the album Get That Feeling in December 1967, where it was titled as 'No Business.' A tremendous offering that represents one of Hendrix's earliest known publishing contracts.
From the 1995 book Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy: ‘Jimi was unequivocal in his condemnation of Get That Feeling: ‘[The] Curtis Knight album was from bits of tape they used from a jam session, bits of tape, tiny little confetti bits of tape…Capitol never told us they were going to release that crap…You don't have no friend scenes, sometimes makes you wonder. That cat and I used to really be friends. Plus I was just at a jam session and here they just try to connive and cheat and use. I knew Curtis Knight was recording, but listen, that was just a jam session.'
Curtis Knight, naturally, does not see it like this at all: 'There were never any hard feelings whatever between Jimi and me. If there had been, would he have recorded with me when he came back from England when he was already a success?' That was the whole point, of course; undoubtedly, Jimi was very naive to have allowed Chalpin to tape anything, even if he thought it was just a jam, but the only reason Ed Chalpin wanted to release stuff anyway was precisely because Jimi was a success. Otherwise, ‘Get That Feeling’ would have sunk without a trace and with it would have gone any hope Chalpin had of making Curtis Knight a star. As it was, it all came to nothing anyway — the only winner was Ed Chalpin.'
