Davis and Hendrix sent McCartney an impromptu October 21st, 1969 telegram request to record with them in New York:
It's unclear if McCartney was aware of the request. The telegram advises him to conta
ct producer Alan Douglas, and is seemingly an impromptu note asking McCartney to
visit New York from London on short notice.
The invitation came at an extremely awkward moment for the Beatles' bassist. It was sent the same day a prominent New York City radio station gave wide exposure to a rumor that McCartney had died in a car crash and been replaced by a lookalike. The bizarre story, supposedly supported by hints on Beatles records and album covers, briefly gained worldwide credibility. Its dark nature apparently prompted the exasperated McCartney to retreat with his family to their farm in Scotland.
Of course, by late October 1969, John Lennon had already dabbled with life outside of the Beatles universe. He had performed with Eric Clapton and future Yes drummer Alan White in Toronto that September and released two experimental solo albums, Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions and The Wedding Album (which came out October 20, 1969, one day before the telegram was sent).
Meanwhile, George Harrison had already written and recorded a soundtrack album under his own name (1968's Wonderwall Music) and released an experimental album of his own (1969's Electronic Sound). He also was about to hit the road with Delaney & Bonnie and Friends.
The telegram, a part of the Hard Rock Cafe's memorabilia collection, was purchased at an auction in 1995. But it's received more attention with the March release of People, Hell and Angels, a collection of 12 previously unreleased recordings from Hendrix
The telegram is now on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Prague in the Czech Republic.