Professional Documents
Culture Documents
#:2431
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
20
21
22
23
24
Plaintiff,
v.
18
19
DECLARATION OF JANET
WOLFE IN OPPOSITION TO
DEFENDANTS MOTION FOR
SUMMARY JUDGMENT OR
PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT
Date: March 28, 2016
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Room: 850
25
26
Defendants.
27
28
Case No. 15-cv-03462 RGK (AGRx)__
Declaration of Janet Wolfe in Opposition to Defendants
Motion for Summary Judgment
1.
this litigation but do have an interest in justice and in seeing that my brother gets the
recognition he deserves. I have personal knowledge of the facts recited below and if
2.
was 15 at the time and I was 12. In approximately June of that year, he met Jimi
Hendrix in a record store and they became fast friends until the day Jimi died. They
10
played music and performed together that entire summer, and my family would
11
always go and see their shows. It was Jimi who gave Randy his nickname Randy
12
California.
13
3.
At the end of the summer Jimi and Randy met Chas Chandler, who
14
15
16
Pearl felt Randy was too young and she refused. Thus, when Jimi headed to
17
18
4.
19
uncles home and then we moved to Ojai where Randy attended Nordhoff High
20
School. He soon met Robin, who would later become his wife. Her astrological
21
sign was Taurus, so in late 1966, Randy wrote a song for her called Taurus.
22
5.
23
band with two friends, Mark Andes and Jay Ferguson. My uncle, Ed Pearl, owned a
24
famous club in Hollywood called the Ash Grove. Randy and his band played there at
25
least once a week under the name Spirits Rebellious. My entire family, myself
26
included, would go and see the band perform. They played Taurus at all their
27
shows. Taurus was Randys favorite song until the day he died, because it was
28
6.
Eventually the family moved from Ojai to Santa Monica. The band
rehearsed at our home several times per week. One day there was a knock at the
door while they were rehearsing and it was a guy by the name of Brian Berry. I was
present. Brian told us he really liked the music, and he struck up a friendship with
Randy and the other group members. Brian was the brother of Jan Berry of the
musical group Jan and Dean, and he later offered to introduce them to Lou Adler
7.
The group Spirit released its first album in 1968. One of the tracks on
the album was Taurus. They then went on a lengthy tour in support of the album. I
10
attended many of the performances they gave in the United States, but I did not
11
accompany them when they went to Europe. The band played Taurus at every show
12
I attended during the years 1968 and 1969. As I said, it was Randys favorite song
13
14
8.
Spirits second album was called The Family That Plays Together was
15
a testament to how close the band members were. In addition, we were a very
16
musical family. My uncle owned the famous Ash Grove, and my stepfather was the
17
drummer for the group Spirit. I sang with Randy from the time I was five, singing
18
19
9.
In 1970, while Randy was doing the final mix for the album Twelve
20
Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus, he was badly injured when he was thrown from a horse.
21
He was in the hospital for at least two months, and while he was in intensive care,
22
Jay and Mark came to visit him and Jay told Mark (when he didnt think Randy
23
could hear them) that he did not think Randy was ever going to be the same so they
24
should leave the band. Randy was heartbroken. Then came the news in September
25
1970 that Jimi Hendrix died. These three events the accident, Jay and Mark
26
leaving the group, and Jimis death, sent Randy into a serious tailspin of depression
27
28
Case No. 15-cv-03462 RGK (AGRx)
2__
Declaration of Janet Wolfe in Opposition to Defendants
Motion for Summary Judgment
10.
I spoke with Randy several times over the years about Stainvay to
Heaven and the obvious similarity between that song and Taurus. The brother I
knew was a kind, gentle soul for whom the music - not the money - was everything.
Randy told me he knew that Jimmy Page had lifted his song from Taurus, and he felt
beleaguered by interviewers always asking him about it and people always telling
him he was crazy for not suing. I know he thought about it, our mother was pressing
1O
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
3
Declaration of Janet Wolfe in Opposition to Defendants'
Motion for Summary Judgment