Yet another fun photograph of a staff fancy dress party at the Kirklevington Country Club during the 1970s. Steve Winwood - a slightly out of focus photograph but, as it is rare, we thought we would include it here. Doc Cotton is a man of simple pleasures and diverse interests. His heart belongs to the world of cosplay, costumes and fancy dress, with a special fondness for Halloween, where his creative spirit truly shines. Over the years he has been hired by people across the country to make custom halloween costumes and other fancy dress for specific events. They were hand-printed by a small screen-printers in North Shields called David Burn Limited and would be sent down to Middlesbrough via the then British Rail 'Red Star' service, for collection at their depot on Zetland Road.

Traffic appeared at The Kirk in the mid 1960's with Steve Winwood on guitar. This photograph is signed by him wth the name 'Evergreen' underneath. It was the name he affectionately gave to his Gibson Firebird pale green finish "favourite all time instrument" subsequently stolen on tour. He received a replica in 2006 at a Madison Square Garden concert with Eric Clapton. Noel went outside and read a sign on the door and told Jimi, “It says clowns will not be served.” A clown convention was in town. They often got out of hand in the pubs, so the pub owner had banned service to them. It seems that Jimi and Noel’s abundant afros, bright colored, bloused shirts and bell bottoms pants caused the bartender to assume they were clowns.In September 1970, in the last interview he gave before his death later that month at age 27 following a barbiturate overdose, Hendrix was dismissive of the elaborate outfits he’d become known for. In retrospect, the disavowal feels like a portent: “I look around at new groups like Cactus and Mountain and they’re into those same things with the hair and the clothes—wearing all the jewelry and strangling themselves with beads,” he told a British journalist, Keith Altman. “I got out of that because I felt I was being too loud visually. I got the feeling maybe too many people were coming to look and not enough to listen.” There were extraordinary and unexpected pressures in being so thoroughly and relentlessly scrutinized—and Hendrix felt them. Other Kirk visitors over the years included Zoot Money & his Big Roll Band, Brian Auger and the Trinity, Alexis Korner, Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Sugar Pie De Santo, Gary Farr and the T-Birds, Heads, Hands and Feet with Chas Hodges on bass and Albert Lee on lead guitar - the list is endless. The death of Jimi Hendrix at the age of 27 in 1970 devastated the music world. Despite this, he is still widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of all time, with millions of people listening to his music worldwide. His music will always inspire, despite the fact that his death has left a void in the music industry. 7#9 Chord: A Versatile Tool For Musicians

Winston Duvall - also known as J.B. McCoy seen as his inner self - enjoying a break during the 1970s. Jimi Hendrix appeared at The Kirklevington Country Club on January 15th, 1967. This Requiem for Hendrix poster was designed by local man, Chris Bailey.

Before 1968, when he was in the U.K., he just bought his funky clothes at Granny Takes A Trip and I Was Lord Kitchener’s Valet like many young Londoners at that time. I'm a member of the Kirklevington Country Club. DJ Tony Hargan's card from December 1966. The Kirk cards were designed by a young Chris Bailey at the tender age of 18 when he was still at art college! In 1967 Hendrix started to wear a wide-brimmed Westerner brand cowboy hat. He wrapped a narrow purple band and various brooches around it. The hat was stolen in 1968. He tried dawning various other hats for a few months.

Jimi Hendrix’s fashion demanded just as much attention as his music. Jimi Hendrix outfits could not be ignored anymore than his psychedelic. Jimi Hendrix’s Designers

Where Did Jimi Hendrix Get His Clothes From?

A 'Nostalgia Night" with local bands The Blue Caps, The Panthers and Ray Dales All Stars on Wednesday, May 20th 1992.

When he's not busy crafting imaginative costumes, Doc Cotton loves nothing more than a good party. He's the one who knows how to turn any gathering into a memorable event, infusing it with fun and excitement. Jimi Hendrix outfit always got attention, but this might be the only ocassion it was viewed as a clown costume.At a 1969 meeting, Robert Fripp describes how Jimi Hendrix referred to King Crimson as “the best group in the world.” Fripp went on to describe how he met Jimi Hendrix at London’s Revolution club. During a 1969 performance, Robert Fripp, the frontman for King Crimson, revealed that Jimi Hendrix had given the band a compliment. Albert Lee appeared at The Kirk with Hogan's Heroes in later years. He was also the lead guitarist with Heads, Hands and Feet when they played there. Chas Hodges, later of Chas and Dave, was the bass player. Celebrity diners at Martha's Vineyard included Frank Allen, bass player with The Searchers, who is on the right of the photograph on the left, with the former Middlesbrough Football Club manager, Malcolm Allison, pictured above right, in 1984.