Sometimes, when a decision is too tough, you have to just let fate decide. With two great options and no idea how to choose between them, it may need to be surrendered to something like eeny meeny miny moe, or, in the history of Wings, a coin toss.
But this is less a story about Wings and more a story about one drummer whose entire career seemed to be controlled by coin tosses. It’s not that Mitch Mitchell wasn’t a great drummer – in fact, that was the problem. He constantly found himself in situations where he was in the top two at a given audition. He’d wowed the people in the room, but so had someone else.
So, with two incredible talents to choose between, both equal in skill and ability, someone would suggest a coin toss – a foolproof, no-arguments way to decide.
The first time, it worked in his favour. In 1966, he auditioned for Jimi Hendrix, hoping to become part of the Experience. He impressed the guitarist massively, having exactly the right energy for the group that would go on to be historic. But there was another impressive player in the room – Aynsley Dunbar. In the end, Hendrix couldn’t decide, so he let fate help. A coin was tossed, Mitchell won, and he earned himself a spot playing behind one of the most revered artists in musical history.
The second time round, though, it didn’t work out so well. After years of working with Hendrix, an impromptu gig as the Dirty Mac with John Lennon for The Rolling Stones’ rock and roll circus and time spent building a lengthy resume of collaborations with other idols, another audition came around.
This time it was for Wings. Mitchell was no stranger to the Beatles lot after having performed with Lennon, so the prospect of joining Paul McCartney’s new band seemed like a good one. Every musician would think that, though, meaning that competition was tough to join the lineup.
Mitchell impressed, though. Once again, he found himself in a familiar position. After playing for the band and winning them over with the style he’d honed over years of playing with a vast and varied cast of artists, McCartney couldn’t decide. Just as it was in Hendrix’s audition room, Mitchell was great, but so was someone else. A coin was picked up, thrown, but this time, he lost.
He lost out to Geoff Britton who would join the group instead. However, perhaps fate picked wrong at Britton only stuck around in the band for a year before being replaced by Joe English. Perhaps if the coin toss had gone the other way, the band would have had less to-and-frow in their line up.
Mitchell did alright regardless, though. From being a young man to the age of 62 when he sadly passed, his entire life was spent playing drums, touring the world with acts he loved and contributing his talent to some incredible albums. Listening back to the Hendrix records, Mitchell’s drumming helps make them what they are, proving exactly why he impressed so much in those audition rooms, even if fate didn’t always follow through at the last chance step.
