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The Jimi Hendrix Experience

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Jimi Hendrix
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

In 1966, Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell, and Noel Redding played together for the first time. The Jimi Hendrix Experience was formed.

I’ve seen just about all my favourite guitarists play live, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Joe Walsh, Mark Knopfler, David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, Jonny Greenwood, none of whom disappointed. But if only I’d been born ten years earlier, I would’ve seen Jimi Hendrix.

Jimi did things with those six strings like no other guitarist. Never mind the gimmicks, playing with his teeth, behind his head, setting fire to the damn thing. Jimi was the guitarist’s guitarist.

Did he have a vision, did he have a plan? Probably not. It was one of those ‘right time, right place’ moments that brought Jimi over to England after Keith Richards’ girlfriend Linda Keith had told Chas Chandler from the Animals to go and check this new guitarist when he was in New York. Funny how these twists of fate happen. Did you know it was Beatle George Harrison who recommended the Rolling Stones to Decca’s A&R man Derek Rowe. And it was Rowe who had turned down The Beatles!

Bassist Noel Redding was the first to audition for the Experience. Redding had been working in a variety of English groups who were going nowhere fast. Apparently, Redding was chosen because Hendrix liked his attitude towards music and his ‘Afro’ hairstyle.

Then came drummer Mitch Mitchell, who had an acting background and had starred in a children’s television programme, Jennings and Derbyshire, when he was a teenager. Now a session drummer, Mitchell had worked with The Pretty Things, Bill Knight & The Sceptres, The Riot Squad, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, and The Who (as a session drummer while the band was deciding on a replacement for Doug Sandom, their eventual choice being Keith Moon).

On the 1967 Hendrix UK package tour with Pink Floyd, The Move, and Amen Corner, the other acts didn’t stand a chance, most reviews only mention Jimi and his band. He had the curtains closed on him one night after the management at the venue regarded his movements with his guitar as having sexual overtones. On another night, Hendrix was having equipment problems and in his frustration rammed his Gibson Flying V into his speaker cabinets. Like an enormous arrow, the guitar became stuck in the amplifier, which the audience greeted as part of the act.

I wonder what Noel and Mitch thought of Jimi the first time they met. Here was this softly spoken American geezer who could make his guitar do things that were totally alien to any other player.

The three gelled and went on to record three landmark albums: Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland. Again it’s hard to appreciate the groundbreaking qualities of these records. All music genres normally have a bunch of artists with a similar feel. But no one sounded like this guy; just listen to works like ‘Foxy Lady’, ‘Purple Haze’, ‘Manic Depression’, ‘Hey Joe’, ‘Little Wing’, ‘Voodoo Chile’ and their blinding version of Dylan’s ‘All Along The Watchtower’.

It is funny how things turn out. Hendrix was particularly fond of Elvis Presley. The 15-year-old went to see the King of Rock and Roll perform when he played a show in Jimi’s hometown of Seattle in 1957. Leap forward to London in the late ’60s and a young Freddie Mercury was particularly fond of Jimi Hendrix (he saw him play live over a dozen times).

On June 4, 1967, the Experience played their last show in England, at London’s Saville Theatre, before heading off to America. The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper album had just been released and two Beatles (McCartney and Harrison) were in attendance, along with a roll call of other UK rock stardom, including: Brian Epstein, Eric Clapton, Spencer Davis, Jack Bruce, and Lulu. Hendrix and the Experience opened the show with his own rendering of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, rehearsed only minutes before taking the stage, much to McCartney’s astonishment and delight.

The following fans’ accounts of attending this tour are taken from the This Day in Music book Jimi Hendrix – The Day I Was There which contains over 500 stories from people that saw Jimi Hendrix live in concert. Available in print and all digital formats.

CHEETAH CLUB
26 JUNE 1966, NEW YORK, NEW YORK
I WAS THERE: JAYNE KELL, AGE 15

I actually saw him three times. The first was at the Club Cheetah in NYC. I had not yet turned 16. My mother and my aunt took my cousin Julia, who was 13, and myself for a week to NYC. Our mothers stayed in one suite, Julia and I in another at the Waldorf – their mistake, our great fortune.

My cousin and I snuck out and made our way to the Village and heard there was going to be a great concert that night at the Club Cheetah. I have totally forgotten the band who we went there to see but will never forget who we actually saw. After talking our way in, we edged up to the front and – POW! Like lightning, our lives were forever changed. Talk about being awoken. He was beautiful, dressed like a rock god and sexy. But it was the guitar that spoke to me. It truly rocked my 16-year old world.

HYDE PARK TOWERS HOTEL
22 SEPTEMBER 1966, LONDON, UK
I WAS THERE: GORDON HASKELL

When I was in the band The Fleur de Lys our manager Nicholas Wright was also the Animals’ photographer and arranged for
us to live at Cranley Gardens, South Kensington, The Animals’ main flat. They were away on a long tour of the USA. It was during this time in 1966/67 that Jimi Hendrix was also living there, awaiting Chas Chandler’s return. Hendrix only had an acoustic guitar and we showed him the main music shops in Charing Cross Road and Denmark Street.

Most of his time he spent drawing and painting in his bedroom. We were very busy working as a session band for Atlantic – Polydor Records so were out most days at the studio and barely talked to him. When Chas came round eventually, he invited us all to the first gigs of Hendrix, which were sensational and intimate, in small clubs like Blaises, just up the road in Queensway. Hendrix also played with us in the Speakeasy on two occasions. He was remarkable. He used our guitarist’s right-handed Stratocaster and simply played upside down, which really means he could play as well backwards as forwards. He also sat in on bass while I (the bassist) watched.

The guitarist for the Animals was Hilton Valentine, who produced one Fleur de Lys session at Kingsway Studios, where we cut four songs and Hendrix overdubbed on them. The tracks were never released as none of us were that happy with the choice of songs. Our last meeting was at the Saville prior to his first USA trip as ‘Jimi Hendrix’ after ‘Hey Joe’. We never saw him again.

MARBLE ARCH
OCTOBER 1966, LONDON, UK
I WAS THERE: PHIL SWERN

My first job in the music business was in 1966 when I joined Strike Records as errand boy/tea maker. They operated unofficially out of a flat in the Marble Arch area of London. At the time they were enjoying their one and only hit with ‘That’s Nice’ by Neil Christian but were investing in several other up and coming acts.

In the flat below lived Jimi Hendrix, and one day I got in the lift and there was the man himself. He said, ‘Hey man, do you work upstairs? There’s a new Roy Harper album I know is coming out soon – any chance you can get me a copy?’ I immediately went upstairs and into the cupboard and removed a white label copy of the record, then went back and knocked on Jimi’s door. He answered and was very grateful and invited me in for a cup of tea. I thanked him but said I had to get back to work, so he said, ‘Well, come back tomorrow at 3.30 and join me for tea.’ I agreed and the following day turned up to find he’d made tea with cucumber sandwiches. I was shocked but ended up staying and chatting with Jimi for over half an hour … I was only 18 and concerned he might give me drugs, or whatever, but he was so gentle and quiet.

We chatted about the blues and other styles of music and he played me his demo of ‘Hey Joe’ before I realised I was going to be late back for work. I got a real telling off for not being around to make tea for all the staff at Strike. but it was worth it!

KIRKLEVINGTON COUNTRY CLUB
15 JANUARY 1967, KIRKLEVINGTON, UK
I WAS THERE: NEVILLE HENDERSON

We found ourselves no further than 12 feet from the band when they started. I can’t remember what they opened with, but my attention was drawn immediately to this wild man on guitar. I remember thinking how mobile he and drummer Mitch Mitchell were, whilst Noel Redding seemed a lot more reserved, the quiet man of the band. I gradually became more drawn to Hendrix, with his strange technique and playing a right-handed guitar upside down on his left side. By the end of their set I remember thinking long and hard about what I’d just witnessed, a true guitar genius ably backed by two other great musicians. I couldn’t believe it.

Afterwards, when the huge crowd had all gone, we sat together at tables having a drink and a chat. I recall saying to my wife, Marg, ‘Just look who we are sitting with!’ Next but one to my left was Alan Price, then Chas Chandler and directly opposite me were Jimi, Mitch and Noel. The Real McCoy guys were also there. It was a terrific hour of chat we had. I remember Noel Redding did most of the talking and I was struck by how quiet Jimi was. When I spoke to him he’d quietly answer, but he wasn’t a conversation hogger, as I thought he might have been. Someof the detail he did divulge was how when playing Café Wha? in Greenwich Village as Jimmy James, at the time backing Curtis Knight, he was approached by Chas and persuaded to come to London, where auditions for a suitable backing group were set
up, with the Jimi Hendrix Experience born. They very quickly released their first single, ‘Hey Joe’, to test the water, but it was currently in the charts at No.6, and they were working on another, ‘Purple Haze’.

What we were seeing here was Jimi in the early days of his flamboyant career. I was very impressed with this guy. By now it was getting late, the roadies were getting impatient and we had to end the conversation, so we said our goodbyes and headed for home. As I thought about it next morning, my whole conception of Hendrix had changed. Here was a really quiet, modest guy, and a quality musician – totally different to what I’d thought before. We all had a great night in his company.

Jimi Hendrix The Day I Was There

Important Dates In The Life Of The Jimi Hendrix Experience:

On this day in music
15 Oct 2020
English musician and songwriter Gordon Haskell died from cancer age 74. Haskell first gained recognition as bass player for the British cult band The Fleur de Lys, and subsequently spent a short period in King Crimson. Haskell also shared a London flat in the 60's with Jimi Hendrix Experience when the guitarist first arrived in the UK. In 2001 he gained international recognition with his hit song 'How Wonderful You Are', followed by his platinum-selling album Harry's Bar.
12 Nov 2008
Mitch Mitchell, the British drummer with the Jimi Hendrix Experience was found dead in his US hotel room aged 61. As a teenager, he starred in a children's television programme, Jennings and Derbyshire, and starred in a leading role in the 1960 British film Bottoms Up with Jimmy Edwards. Mitchell had been working with Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames when in 1966 he was invited to audition for a new band being formed to back Jimi Hendrix. In December 1968, Mitchell played with the Dirty Mac, an all-star band assembled for The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (with John Lennon, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards).
10 Jul 2008
The drum skin used on the cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album sold for £541,250 ($1m) at Christie's Memorabilia auction in London. Other items sold included John Lennon's lyrics for 'Give Peace a Chance' which sold for £421,250 ($832,257) and a pair of tinted prescription sunglasses belonging to Lennon, which he wore for the cover of the single 'Mind Games', sold for £39,650 ($79,000). A rare 1/4 inch reel to-reel master tape recording of the Jimi Hendrix Experience performing at the Woburn Music Festival in 1968 went for £48,050 ($95,000), a Marshall amplifier used by Hendrix in concert fetched £25,000 ($50,000).
5 Mar 2005
A commemorative plaque for the The Jimi Hendrix Experience was unveiled in Loisin-sous-Lens. Hendrix had appeared at The Twenty Club when it opened in 1967. It was his first European tour where he was totally unknown. Club owner Rikki Stein stated: 'The place was packed and at the end of ’Wild Thing’, his first number, there was total silence. The entire audience just stood there, open-mouthed. They’d never seen or heard anything like it in their life'.
17 Feb 2005
A 1965 Fender Stratocaster guitar belonging to Jimi Hendrix sold for £100,000 at an auction in London. Other Hendrix items sold included a poem written two weeks after his appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival which went for £10,000 and the first Jimi Hendrix Experience's single 'Hey Joe', signed by all the band sold for £2,000.
11 May 2003
Jimi Hendrix Experience bassist Noel Redding died at his home in Ireland aged 57. Redding played on the classic Hendrix albums 'Are You Experienced', 'Axis: Bold as Love' and 'Electric Ladyland,' Right up until his death, Redding had been taking legal action against the Hendrix estate for payment estimated at £3.26 million for his part in recordings and for ongoing royalties. Had also been a member of Fat Mattress and formed The Noel Redding Band.
26 Oct 1991
Legendary Rock concert promoter Bill Graham was killed when the Bell 206B JetRanger III helicopter he was riding in struck the top of a Pacific Gas and Electric transmission tower near Sears Point, northwest of Vallejo and exploded. The crash, which left the helicopter's wreckage dangling near the top of the towering structure, killed Graham, his girlfriend Melissa Gold and pilot Steve Kahn. Graham had founded the Fillmore theaters in San Francisco and New York and had played key roles in supporting such bands as The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Janis Joplin, The Band, Bob Dylan, The J. Geils Band, The Allman Brothers Band and The Rolling Stones.
18 Aug 1991
Rick Griffin, died after being forced off the road by a van he was attempting to pass on his Harley Heritage Softail motorbike. One of his best known album covers was for the Grateful Dead's 'Aoxomoa' LP, and the legendary "Flying Eyeball" poster he designed for a series of concerts in San Francisco featuring the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Albert King and John Mayall.
16 Jun 1991
English singer Vicki Brown died of breast cancer aged 50. She is best known for her membership of both The Vernons Girls and The Breakaways, and as one of the UK's most enduring backing vocalists. She appeared on many hits including The Jimi Hendrix Experience version of 'Hey Joe', Petula Clark's hit, 'Downtown', The Who's Tommy – film soundtrack, George Harrison's Cloud Nine. She was the first wife of singer and musician Joe Brown and mother of the singer Sam Brown.
28 May 1990
Mitch Mitchell former drummer with The Jimi Hendrix Experience took out a High Court action against Private Eye magazine over an allegedly defamatory item.
21 Nov 1970
Two months after his death Jimi Hendrix was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Voodoo Child (Slight Return)' the closing track on Electric Ladyland, the third and final album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. This was the guitarist's only UK No.1 single. Hendrix's solo on the track was named the 11th greatest solo of all-time in Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.
4 Sep 1969
The film 'Easy Rider' starring Jack Nicholson Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper opened at The Classic in London England. The movie's soundtrack featured The Band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Steppenwolf.
2 Jul 1969
Bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell quit The Jimi Hendrix Experience after completing the three-day Denver Pop Festival. Hendrix and drummer Mitch Mitchell would later team with bassist Billy Cox to form the short-lived Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, who played at the Woodstock Festival.
20 Jun 1969
The first of a three day Festival in Newport, California, featuring: Ike And Tina Turner, Marvin Gaye, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Byrds, The Rascals, Steppenwolf, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter, Eric Burdon and Love. A three day ticket cost $15 (£8.80). Hendrix received $125,000 for his appearance, at the time it was the highest fee ever paid to a rock act for a single appearance.
24 Feb 1969
The Jimi Hendrix Experience played their last British performance when they appeared at the Royal Albert Hall, London. During the encore of 'Purple Haze' and 'Wild Thing' the stage was invaded by fans, police, bouncers, floor managers and practically the entire audience.
3 Jan 1969
Appearing live on The Lulu show on UK TV, The Jimi Hendrix Experience were booked to perform two songs, 'Voodoo Child', (which was performed in full), then Hendrix stopped performing his new single 'Hey Joe' after a verse and chorus and instead launched into a version of the Cream song 'Sunshine Of Your Love' as a tribute to the band who had split a few days earlier. Hendrix then proceeded to continuing jamming, running over their allocated time slot on the live show, preventing the show's host Lulu from closing the show properly.
28 Dec 1968
The three day Miami Pop festival took place, the first major rock festival held on the East Coast of the US, with The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Chuck Berry, The McCoys, Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Marvin Gaye, The Turtles, The Box Tops, Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, Pacific Gas and Electric, Procol Harum, Canned Heat, Iron Butterfly and Grateful Dead.
28 Dec 1968
Pink Floyd appeared at the two day festival Flight To Lowlands Paradise II, Margriethal-Jaarbeurs, Utrecht, The Netherlands, (replacing The Jimi Hendrix Experience). Other acts appearing included Jethro Tull, Jeff Beck, The Pretty Things and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
16 Nov 1968
The Jimi Hendrix Experience went to No.1 on the US album chart with their third and final studio album Electric Ladyland. The double album included ‘Crosstown Traffic,’ ‘Voodoo Chile’ and a version of Bob Dylan's ‘All Along the Watchtower’. Hendrix expressed displeasure and embarrassment with this "naked lady" cover which was banned by several record dealers as "pornographic", while others sold it with the gatefold cover turned inside out.
12 Nov 1968
UK book and record chain W.H. Smiths refused to display The Jimi Hendrix Experience album 'Electric Ladyland' due to the naked girls featured on the sleeve. The album was then made available as two albums with changed artwork after the complaints.
25 Oct 1968
The double album 'Electric Ladyland' by the The Jimi Hendrix Experience was released. It was also made available as two albums with changed artwork after complaints about the naked women who were pictured on the sleeve. The female models were each paid £5 for the photo shoot and another £5 if they posed completely naked.
2 Sep 1968
Jimi Hendrix Experience released a cover of the Bob Dylan song 'All Along the Watchtower', nine months after the original version hit the airwaves. The song became Hendrix’s biggest hit in the US, landing in the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 20, and, later, would influence Dylan’s live renditions of the song. In a 1995 interview with South Florida’s Sun Sentinel, Dylan described hearing Hendrix’s version: "It overwhelmed me, really. He had such talent, he could find things inside a song and vigorously develop them. He found things that other people wouldn't think of finding in there."
23 Aug 1968
During a North American tour The Jimi Hendrix Experience appeared at Singer Bowl, Flushing Meadow Park, New York. Also on the bill was Soft Machine and Big Brother and the Holding Company.
19 Jul 1968
Pink Floyd played the second of three nights at the Boston Tea Party, Boston, Massachusetts. Opened in January 1967 as a psychedelic club, many many famous artists, including Grateful Dead, Neil Young, The J. Geils Band, Frank Zappa, Cream, Fleetwood Mac, The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jeff Beck, The Who, Santana, Taj Mahal, Ten Years After and Sly & the Family Stone all appeared.
8 Jul 1968
Pink Floyd kicked off their first 20-date North American tour at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago. The club became a driving force in the music business, hosting famous rock acts such as The Doors, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Byrds, Janis Joplin, The Mothers of Invention, Grateful Dead, MC5, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple, Iron Butterfly, Fleetwood Mac, Vanilla Fudge, Muddy Waters and Jefferson Airplane.
6 Jul 1968
Woburn Music Festival, Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire took place. A two-day affair featuring Donovan, Fleetwood Mac, Pentangle, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Alexis Korner, Family, Taste, Tim Rose, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Duster Bennett and Tyrannosaurus Rex, two-day tickets were priced at £2.
5 Jun 1968
The Jimi Hendrix Experience appeared on the Dusty Springfield TV show 'It Music Be Dusty', filmed on ATV, in London, England. Hendrix performed 'Stone Free' and 'Voodoo Chile' and then played a version of 'Mockingbird' with Dusty Springfield.
18 May 1968
The first Miami Pop event took place with an estimated 100,000 people attending the concert, which was promoted by Richard O'Barry & Michael Lang (later famous as the promoter of Woodstock). Bands featured at the festival included Steppenwolf, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Mothers of Invention, Blue Cheer, Chuck Berry, The Blues Image, Pacific Gas and Electric, Three Dog Night and the Crazy World of Arthur Brown.
3 May 1968
The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded 'Voodoo Chile.' It was featured on the 'Electric Ladyland' double album and became a UK No.1 single on 21st November 1970 two months after the guitarist's death. Hendrix's solo on the track was named the 11th greatest solo of all-time in Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.
28 Mar 1968
Pink Floyd recorded a performance for the BBC 2 TV Omnibus - The Sound of Change show from Barnes Common, London, England. The special, which was produced by Tony Palmer, also featured performances by The Who, Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The show was later broadcast in September of this year.
22 Dec 1967
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Who, Keith West and Tomorrow, Eric Burdon & The Animals, 1984 (featuring future Queen guitarist Brian May) and Soft Machine all appeared at The Olympia, London at an all night festival 'Christmas On Earth Continued'. The DJ was John Peel plus the venue featured a paddling pool, light shows and a movie theatre, tickets £1.
4 Dec 1967
This was the penultimate night of a 16-date UK package tour, on which Pink Floyd joined The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Move, The Nice, The Eire Apparent, The Outer Limits and Amen Corner to play at the City Hall, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Jimi Hendrix was having equipment problems and in his frustration rammed his Gibson Flying V into his speaker cabinets. Like an enormous arrow, the guitar became stuck in the amplifier, which the audience greeted as all was part of the act.
1 Dec 1967
The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their second studio album Axis: Bold as Love. Hendrix expressed dismay regarding the album cover art, which depicts him and the Experience as various forms of Vishnu, incorporating a painting of them by Roger Law, from a photo-portrait by Karl Ferris. Hendrix stated that the cover would have been more appropriate had it highlighted his American Indian heritage.
27 Nov 1967
The 16-date UK package tourwith Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, The Move, The Nice, The Outer Limits, The Eire Apparent and Amen Corner travelled to Belfast to appear for two shows at the Whitla Hall, Queens College. It was Jimi's 25th birthday and before the shows the guitarist was given a birthday cake by the promoters This was to be the only concert that The Jimi Hendrix Experience ever played in Ireland.
26 Nov 1967
This was the 10th date on a 16-date UK package tour that Pink Floyd played alongside The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Move, The Nice, The Eire Apparent, The Outer Limits and Amen Corner. Tonight's date was at the Palace Theatre, Manchester, and as with all of the dates, there were two shows per night.
23 Nov 1967
A 16 date UK package tour played its 7th night at the Sophia Gardens Pavilion, Cardiff. Featuring The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Move, The Nice, The Outer Limits, The Eire Apparent and Amen Corner, the entourage performed twice nightly. In 1974, Pink Floyd returned to the venue, which has since been demolished, to be replaced by the 'Really Welsh Pavilion'.
6 Nov 1967
During a three hour session Bob Dylan recorded ‘All Along The Watchtower’ and ‘John Wesley Harding’ at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The Jimi Hendrix Experience later recorded their version of ‘All Along the Watchtower' on January 21, 1968, at Olympic Studios in London after Hendrix had been given a tape of Dylan’s recording by publicist Michael Goldstein, who worked for Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman.
6 Oct 1967
The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded a session for the UK BBC radio show 'Top Gear.' Stevie Wonder who was also appearing on the show jammed with Hendrix.
22 Aug 1967
The Jimi Hendrix Experience appeared on the UK BBC TV Simon Dee show. Kiki Dee and Cat Stevens were also guests on the show.
15 Aug 1967
The Jimi Hendrix Experience played a one night only show at The Fifth Dimension club, Ann Arbor, Michigan. The club is now demolished.
3 Aug 1967
The Jimi Hendrix Experience played the first of five nights at the Salvation Club in New York City. During this period a typical set list included: 'Foxy Lady', 'Hey Joe', 'The Wind Cries Mary', 'Purple Haze' and 'Burning Of The Midnight Amp'.
21 Jul 1967
The Jimi Hendrix Experience played the first of three nights at the Cafe-a-Go-Go in New York City. The club featured many well known acts including: Grateful Dead, Tim Buckley, Joni Mitchell,Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Jefferson Airplane, and Cream who all appeared at the club.
9 Jul 1967
On a US tour supporting The Monkees, The Jimi Hendrix Experience appeared at the Convention Hall, Miami, Florida. After it became plainly apparent that the group is not suited to teenybopper audiences, the tour’s promoter Dick Clark and Hendrix’s manager Chas Chandler concoct a story saying that the conservative Daughters of the American Revolution group had complained at Jimi’s act and so the Experience left the tour after just six shows.
8 Jul 1967
The Monkees began a 29-date tour with The Jimi Hendrix Experience as support act. Hendrix was dropped after six shows after being told his act was not suitable for their teenybopper audience.
25 Jun 1967
During a north American tour The Jimi Hendrix Experience gave a free afternoon concert in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. They then played another two shows that evening at the Fillmore West.
4 Jun 1967
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Procol Harum, Denny Laine and The Chiffons all appeared at The Saville Theatre, London. Both Paul McCartney and George Harrison were in the audience to see Hendrix perform the title track from Sgt. Pepper which had been released just three days earlier.
29 May 1967
The Move, Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, Zoot Money, Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band all appeared at the Tulip Bulb Auction Hall in Spalding, Lincoln, England. Pink Floyd were only a support band and played in a corner of the shed with a white sheet behind them with the coloured oil shining onto it. Tickets cost £1 ($1.70). The poster advertising the show promised a 'Knockout Atmosphere'.
12 May 1967
Are You Experienced by the Jimi Hendrix Experience was released in the UK. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest debuts in the history of rock music. The album features Jimi Hendrix's innovative approach to songwriting and electric guitar playing which soon established a new direction in psychedelic and hard rock music. The album spent 33 weeks on the UK charts and 106 weeks on the US Billboard Top LPs chart.
4 May 1967
The Jimi Hendrix Experience appeared on UK TV's Top Of The Pops, performing 'Purple Haze'. During afternoon rehearsals for the show, Mick Jagger went into the studio to see Jimi Hendrix.
4 Apr 1967
The Jimi Hendrix Experience,The Walker Brothers, Engelbert Humperdink and Cat Stevens played two shows at Bournemouth Winter Gardens, England. The Jimi Hendrix Experience were also the special guests on the first edition of the UK BBC-TV's 'Dee Time', along with Kiki Dee and Cat Stevens.
17 Mar 1967
Jimi Hendrix Experience released 'Purple Haze' in the UK, (US release was June 19). Hendrix had read Night of Light, a 1966 novel by Philip José Farmer. In the story set on a distant planet, sunspots produced a "purplish haze" which had a disorienting effect on the inhabitants. It is thought that Hendrix took this as the idea for the songs lyrics.
2 Feb 1967
The Jimi Hendrix Experience appeared at the Blue Pad Club in Darlington, England which was part of the Imperial Hotel Complex on Grange Road. The show was advertised as "Don't miss this man who is Dylan, Clapton, and James Brown all in one". After the show, as the roadies were loading up a van, one of Hendrix's Fender guitars was stolen.
18 Jan 1967
The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded an appearance on UK TV show Top Of The Pops performing a live version of "Hey Joe". They also played a show at the Seven and a Half Club in Mayfair, London during the evening.
17 Jan 1967
The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded a session for Radio Luxembourg's Ready Steady Radio. The band ran up a bar bill of £2.5 shillings, ($6.21), which they were unable to pay.
13 Jan 1967
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr both went to the Bag O'Nails Club, London, England to see the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
11 Jan 1967
The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded 'Purple Haze' at De Lane Lea studios in London. Hendrix later stated 'The Purple Haze,' was about a dream he had and that he was walking under the sea." In concert, Hendrix sometimes substituted lyrics for comic effect; "'scuse me while I kiss the sky" was rendered "'scuse me while I kiss this guy" (while gesturing towards his drummer Mitch Mitchell).
4 Jan 1967
The Jimi Hendrix Experience played the first of what would be over 240 gigs in this year when they appeared at the Bromel Club, Bromley. (Many of the concerts were two shows per night).
29 Dec 1966
The Jimi Hendrix Experience made their debut on the UK TV show Top Of The Pops performing 'Hey Joe'.
26 Dec 1966
The Jimi Hendrix Experience played an afternoon show at The Uppercut Club, London, (where he was billed as "The American Top soul Singer - Jimi Hendrix"). Hendrix also wrote the lyrics to Purple Haze in the dressing room on the same day.
16 Dec 1966
The first Jimi Hendrix Experience single 'Hey Joe', was released in the UK on Polydor records, the track had been rejected by the Decca label. It went on to be a No.6 hit in the UK, but failed to chart in America. Chas Chandler, who was now managing Hendrix had seen Folk singer Tim Rose perform the song at the Cafe Wha? in New York City.
13 Dec 1966
Jimi Hendrix made his TV debut on ITV's 'Ready Steady Go!' (Marc Bolan was also on the show). The Jimi Hendrix Experience also recorded 'Foxy Lady' on this day. The United States version of Are You Experienced listed the song with a spelling mistake as 'Foxey Lady' and this is how it is still known among many North American fans.
25 Nov 1966
The Jimi Hendrix Experience made their UK live debut at the Bag O'Nails Club, London, where they played using the clubs DJ booth. Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, The Beatles, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, The Hollies, and the Small Faces would all hang out at the club.
23 Oct 1966
The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded their first single 'Hey Joe', at De Lane Lea studios in London. The earliest known commercial recording of the song is the late-1965 single by the Los Angeles garage band the The Leaves; the band then re-recorded the track and released it in 1966 as a follow-up single which became a hit.
18 Oct 1966
The Jimi Hendrix Experience played their first gig as a band supporting French pop star Johnny Hallyday at the Paris Olympia in France.
5 Oct 1966
Having moved to and living in London, England, Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding played together for the first time - The Jimi Hendrix Experience were formed.
1 Oct 1966
Jimi Hendrix appeared live for the first time in the UK when he jammed with Cream at their gig at London Polytechnic. Hendrix made his official UK live debut a month later on Friday 25 Nov 1966, when the Jimi Hendrix Experience appeared at the Bag O'Nails Club, London.
2 Jan 1926
The first issue of The Melody Maker went on sale priced at 3d. The monthly magazine was for 'all who are interested in the production of popular music'. In the first issue, Dance Band news, a feature on Ukuleles and how to read music by sight. Advertisements in Melody Maker helped assemble the line-ups of a number of major bands, including: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Supertramp and The Stranglers.
1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Dan Eilenberg

    October 8, 2019 at 2:53 pm

    The Decca executive was called Dick Rowe, not Derek.

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