Producer Danny Bramson spoke to Billboard about his much talked about JIMI HENDRIX biopic called Jimi: All By My Side which stars Andre Benjamin as the iconic guitarist.

Here are a few excerpts from the chat:

Billboard: Was there any trepidation in taking on this project after efforts to do the Hendrix story had stalled over music rights issues?

Bramson: "My long-time agent at CAA wanted me to read a script by a write I was familiar with, John Ridley, who had written 'Three Kings.' The script came with three or four concerns. It came in the wake of Paul Greengrass' ambitious attempt to do the Jimi Hendrix bio at Warner Bros. (Legendary Pictures was financing) that had been scuttled because of the estate's concerns. I had no previous relationship with John or the independent world or the budget. This had the ambitiousness of a period piece as well as conveying Jimi Hendrix. Within ten pages of John's script, the prose had pulled me all the way in."

Billboard: Andre Benjamin delivers a phenomenal performance as Hendrix. It's one thing to get the character down, but what did it take to make him believable as a guitarist?

Bramson: "We bet the house on our one and only choice, Andre Benjamin. Andre and I had ironically spoken once before -- when I was producing music for 'Higher Learning.' (Director) John Singleton had turned me on to the scene in Atlanta and the song they delivered to us predated their first album. I flew to Atlanta probably two and half years ago and sat down with Andre; I could finally thank him. The idea of anyone playing Hendrix, let alone a right-handed guitarist, was one of the greatest challenges of the project. I found a really patient teacher and put together a regimen for Andre when he came out to Los Angeles. He sat in a small studio, six hours a day, putting in dedication (to learn how to play left-handed). His guitarmanship had to carry the idea of grace and fluidity. John and I declared that we didn't want to have the camera cropped on his face and not the guitar. He kept working in a rehearsal room throughout the production."

Read more and check out a new clip at Billboard.

Check out two previous clips from the film below: