The Jimi Hendrix Experience Animals bassist, Chas Chandler, formed a backing band with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell. Mitchell was a seasoned London drummer formerly with Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames. Hendrix chose Redding because of his attitude towards music and his hairstyle. Redding had been a guitar player until that time, but played bass in the band. The name "The Jimi Hendrix Experience" was coined by their business manager Michael Jeffery. The first official appearance of "The Jimi Hendrix Experience" (invited by French singer Johnny Hallyday) was at the "Novelty" in Évreux, France, on October 13, 1966. Six days later
Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix Gypsy Suns and Rainbows and the Cry of Love touring band. No songs from the "Band of Gypsys" lineup with Buddy Miles are included. In a review for AllMusic, Bruce Eder calls it the near "perfect single-CD Jimi Hendrix anthology". He notes that includes some of Hendrix's noteworthy later work, but lacks a couple of songs from his earlier "Smash Hits" compilation. The album reached number 18 in the UK and number 133 in the US. In 2006, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it as "gold" for selling over 500,000 copies. The titles and running times are