Hash Howard was a semi-mythological actor and drummer in the late Sixties. Living and working in New York City, Hash played in a number of rock groups. Most notably, the Observation Balloon, a basic hard rock and blues band. Some of his fabled heroics include playing drums with many legendary Rock Stars. Sessions would take place almost anywhere there were amps and drums. One of these happened when Hash jammed with Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix - at the Same Time! Also included here is a recounting of the night Hash spent a couple of hours with John Lennon and Paul McCartney (following the Jimi and Eric episode.)

For about a year and a half, during the late Sixties, I played in a band called Observation Balloon. We had been written up in Billboard, the music industry magazine, complete with photo. For about a year, we played four or five sets a night in the "Café Wha?" in Greenwich Village. "The Wha?" was a music club and was run by Manny Roth, David Lee Roth’s uncle.

One night, during our continuing engagement there, a new group came in to play. This group was led by a very tall, thin man, who played lead guitar, named Jimi James. His band was "Jimi James and the Blue Flame." Another guitarist in the band was Randy California, who later started a West Coast band with his father as drummer, and called it "Spirit."

Both guitarists were amazingly good, but Jimi was all the more impressive due to his height and the fact that he played lead guitar with his teeth! He also held the guitar behind his head, under his legs, behind his back - in short, in positions in which you would think it impossible to play. No matter how he played it, no matter in what position, he was incredible.

Early in their engagement - possibly the first night they were sharing the stage with us, Jimi came storming out, furious. It seems that someone had stolen his Fender Telecaster (or Stratocaster, I never remember which - I am a drummer, after all.) He was raving about how he’d played uptown in a disco, for a bandleader named – (remember, this was thirty years ago; my memory ain’t what it used to be) - King Curtis. Jimi said that he had worked his ass off to be able to buy this beauty of a guitar, only to have to go crawling back (to the disco bandleader) to earn another one.

It was a couple of weeks until the Blue Flame came back. And, it was only for one night.

That night, while the Blue Flame was playing and we were taking our break, Jimi broke his E string. He asked around, and our guitarist, Robert, was the only one with an extra. Jimi replaced his string, and finished his set. Chas Chandler, a member of the English band "The Animals," had been in the audience. He had come specifically to see this incredible guitar player who made love to his guitar while playing fantastic leads. The result was that he took Jimi to England; six months or so later, Jimi Hendrix was a big hit in England, and came storming back to America. (A footnote - when Jimi broke his "E" String, the one who had a spare was Robert - Bob - Kulick, who went on to appear with numerous heavy metal rock bands. Bob was one of the most gifted guitarists I'd ever seen! And I can say that even after having played with Clapton and Hendrix .. but read on.)

A few weeks after Jimi’s triumphant return, I was hanging out at the Greenwich Village club, Salvation. I saw Jimi on the dance floor. It was like old home week; we greeted each other like old friends, talking about what’s been going on. Then Jimi asked if I knew anybody who had a loft, "where Eric Clapton and I can jam." My first reaction was to say to Jimi "You’re full of shit! Clapton?" Jimi simply pointed across the dance floor. There was Clapton, already (in the late Sixties) a living legend. Because I had known Jimi, briefly, as a fellow musician from the Cafe Wha? it hadn't struck me that he was the famous person he’d already become. And Jimi wasn't in a hurry to act like a Big Star; he was still just another rock musician.

I told Jimi that I had a loft where my band rehearsed. So we all piled into a Volkswagen microbus driven by one of his friends, stopped at my apartment to get the keys, and went to the loft. At two in the morning, Jimi, Eric and I sat down to play. Since they were borrowing my group's guitars (Eric played Bob Kulick's guitar, one of the now-valuable Lucilles - his was an Epiphone, I think - from B. B. King; Jimi played Ron Umile's Fender), we waited while Jimi switched the strings around - he was a lefty. And then the fun began! For about two hours we jammed. We played anything that came into their heads. As a drummer, I just went along with it all. I was in heaven. Jimi was an incredible guitarist; Eric Clapton was equally brilliant.

Though we were in a loft on West Nineteenth Street, in an industrial area of Manhattan, the police broke up the session. Seems that we were a few doors down from a Firehouse, and were keeping the firemen awake. But, for two hours or so, I played with two of the best rock musicians who ever lived!

Hash Meets John and Paul:  Hash Howard, in his own words:

It was late - after 1 AM - and I was in the disco, Salvation, which was located at Number 1 Sheridan Square, in the West Village of New York City.

I was in my usual location, the back room, where there was a panoramic view of everything in the club, with tables and booths; it was generally more comfortable than being down in the dance area, which was always packed wall to wall with people.

And, as usual, I'd had a few tokes and was feeling pretty good, just watching the crowd.

Then someone came walking through the back room, saying, "John Lennon and Paul McCartney are coming to the Club!" When I asked, they said they heard they were coming with Brian Epstein's NY partner, Nat Weiss, along with a couple of musicians from a lesser-known Epstein group, the Circle (their only hit, Red Rubber Ball).

I then left, hurrying to my apartment - only a few blocks away - to get a little stash in an old, aluminum film container; I hurried right back.

About ten minutes later I was again in the back room, and there was a stir coming from the main room. Walking into the back room were Nat Weiss, John and Paul, a couple of the guys from the Circle, and two of the Beatles' roadies - one named Neil Aspinal - who were more than just roadies, they were confidants, friends, what have you.

Since I had met Brian and Nat a while before this date, and was known by Nat to be “okay,” I was introduced to The Lads and the others, and we all sat down to have drinks and rap for a while.

I handed the film container to John, who was already pretty stoned. He said to Neil Aspinal, "Neil, do you feel like holding?" and giggled in the way that only John Lennon could giggle. Then John turned to me and repeated my name: "Hash Howard!" And, curled up in the corner of the booth, he giggled again. He was pretty wasted.

Along with the pot I brought, I also brought a little notebook I used to write lyrics. Paul McCartney and I started working our way through the words I'd written.

We got to a set of lyrics I'd written to one of the Beatles' only instrumentals, called Flying. Paul and I went over them and he said that he liked what I'd written. The last word of those lyrics was "be" and Paul remarked that those were Brian Epstein's initials. He then drew a dotted line circle around the word "Be," in my notebook. We seemed to get along very well. Then Paul brought out this tiny little vial, and…

During our conversation, Paul kept repeating the same thing, “Remember, we’re just like you!” I’ll never forget that; the Beatles’ lives were no longer their own, as they were followed by groupies, teenyboppers, and photographers everywhere they went.

A couple of hours later, it was now around 3 or 4 AM, and we all left. Paul and John asked me to come visit them at Nat Weiss' apartment, gave me the address on Third Avenue, and we parted company.

The next day, I showed up at Nat Weiss' apartment building. Somehow, word had leaked out that the Lads were staying there, and there was a crowd of about twenty teenyboppers waiting for a glimpse of John or Paul. I walked up to the doorman, and said "I'm Hash Howard, and Paul McCartney has invited me up."

The doorman called up to Nat's apartment, and I could tell that he was getting the okay to send me up.

Suddenly, there was a loud argument coming from the front door area. There was a very pretty blonde woman, with cameras around her neck, arguing that she had an appointment with Paul McCartney.

To make a long story short, I got to see the Lads long enough for them to shake my hand, and for Paul to tell me to record my drumming and have Nat Weiss send it to them in England. We shook hands all around, and Paul apologized for the confusion, and said we'd get together sometime in the future.

And with them went my hopes of ever spending any more time with two of the most popular, most loved people of their era, John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

There are more stories, myths and fables to be told. If you are interested in more of the unpublished heroics of the legendary Hash Howard, visit the new site here at http://www.hashhoward.com, or sign the guest book and let us know, then come back for more stories.

A & E are the creators of the Hash Howard site.