Guitarist in the backing band is Jimi Hendrix, 1965; allegedly the oldest known footage of him performing. What a difference two years can make. Thnx to PLN for the link.

Comments

[mick]

What passes for cool sure can change. Gotta get me some of them pants.

as to JH.... two years and heroin

[Account Deleted]

umm .. how about two years and letting his true inner self out of the restraints imposed by small minds.

[mick]

Maybe with a little more "restraint" he would still be with us.

[James]

Wow. Thanks for posting these. What an amazing journey between life and death.

[Cunningham]

Jimi's playing bass here, it looks like.

[Ed Cone]

I think the guy next to him is the bass player.

More here.

What's Hendrix doing with his right hand at 1:48, and again toward the end of the song?

[David Wharton]

Looks like he's doing a kind of overhand glissando down the neck; Jimi sure loved his guitar tricks. Even here you can hear his distinctive style.

[Account Deleted]

"What's Hendrix doing with his right hand at 1:48, and again toward the end of the song?"

It's called "showing off" which is one of the things that got him a bad rap on the Chitlin' Circuit.

If you slide your finger along the low E string it makes a nice booming sound (for lack of a better word) depending on how fast you move your hand. I think you hear one about the 2:15 mark.

More here.

[Brandon Burgess]

Even here you can see the future front man trying to be himself. He was never meant to be in the back.

[Frank]

Yeah, in a couple of years he'd be opening for the Monkees--including a show at the Dorton Arena in Raleigh. Bet that scared the hell out of some mommas who took their babies to see Davy Jones.

[Phil Melton]

The Jimi Hendrix Experience was the opening act for The Monkees in Greensboro in July of 1967. I was there, having won my ticket from WCOG. I don't remember any negative reaction at all from the crowd, but during the intermission between Hendrix and The Monkees my brothers and I raved about how great Hendrix was. Remember, this was pre-Rolling Stone magazine, and Hendrix was being covered along with other rock acts in magazines like 16 and Flip. The Dorton Arena show in Raleigh was not until 1969.

[Brandon Burgess]

Phil, I heard that during the Greensboro show with the Monkees, that Jimi was booed off stage.

[justcorbly]

Gotta pay the bills.

Meanwhile, here's video of the Stones on the Dean Martin show, at about the same time.

[Phil Melton]

There are all kinds of myths that have grown up around Hendrix's appearances with the Monkees. He was definitely not booed off the stage in Greensboro. The last song he did, he introduced by saying "I want to do the American and British national anthem," and proceeded to play a blistering version of "Wild Thing." People in different parts of an arena experience different things. I was on the floor about 20 rows back in the middle, and the best I remember is mild applause, but nothing like being booed off the stage. It didn't happen.

[Roger Greene]

The Errol Flynn shirts on the front men are a nice touch.

[Brandon Burgess]

Either way, great vid and great music. I still try to imagine what could've been. I believe I read somewhere a while back that Miles Davis was going to ask Jimi to be in his band. And from what I hear, there is a crappy tape floating around of John Mclaughlin and Jimi playing together.

[Cunningham]

Jimi was a lefty. Only the bass player is playing lefty.

[Ed Cone]

Not sure what you're looking at, C.

[Cunningham]

Stop puttin the Charles Boyer on me.

[Account Deleted]

It is pretty clear that Hendrix is on far left, next to the drummer playing a Fender turned upside down and strung for a lefty. The second guitarist, who gets the most face time, is next to the sax player on the right, and the bass player is the heavy one in the middle. You can see Jimi's axe has six strings and the guy next to him is playing a bass.

I don't think Hendrix ever played bass as a sideman prior to recording Electric Ladyland, at which time he and Noel were at odds because Noel didn't like playing second fiddle to Jimi in the studio. Hendrix played bass on many of the tracks on that album and soon after brought Billy Cox in to replace Noel.

Hendrix on bass would be a waste of talent and in 1965 he would and could take a hike from a band before agreeing to play bass.

[Cunningham]

OK, I see. That's not a Strat, but he's got the upside down thing going, nonetheless. Interesting.

[j. neas]

Also, to speak of how things have changed, I heard that Hendrix stayed at the Oaks Motel on Summit when he was in town for that Monkees show.

[Kim]

The Monkees did too, and I believe Elvis spent a night or two there as well.

[Ed Cone]

Discussion of the guitar and more here.

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If my guitar has a bow, which way to a turn the truss rod?
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Thanks