Watch the earliest known footage of Jimi Hendrix
Just like how he played guitar, Jimi Hendrix’s life was fast-moving and complex. He moved to London in 1966, and within just a few months, he was in a committed relationship, had started a band, and recorded a single. After that, it was only a matter of time before the string-bending, world-defying guitarist took the UK by storm.
Hendrix is an example of an artist whose fame grew based on the words of others. Whenever he supported an artist or made a quick appearance at a show, he would leave crowds in shock, jaws on the floor, trying to comprehend what they had just witnessed. He had a stage presence and playing style that was hard for musicians at the time to wrap their heads around and, as such, found himself the topic of many conversations.
Rock royalty became obsessed with seeing him perform as people like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Cream and the Who all tried to watch him whenever they could. When you are gaining attention from names as big as that, it’s hardly a surprise that Hendrix became as big a star as he did.
He passed away at the young age of 27 on September 18th, 1970. As such, there isn’t as much footage of his incredible live performances as people would like, and due to changes in how video footage is now published, the chronology can often be messy. However, it’s understood that the below video of Hendrix performing is the earliest known footage of him playing live.
It was filmed for Telixer: A Thing of Beat Is a Joy Forever, a documentary covering the UK music scene for a channel in the Netherlands. The footage is incredibly candid, and much of it is displaced with shots of London and live performances.
Hendrix’s show was shot at the Chelmsford Corn Exchange, about 50 miles northeast of London. The gig was on February 25th, 1967, and people were only made aware of it a few days before. The short notice didn’t stop people from coming, though, as seen by the packed room in the footage.
Despite being early in Hendrix’s career as a professional musician, his guitar-playing ability is other-worldly, and he is already showing signs of solidifying himself as one of the greatest of all time.
Shaun Everett was a Mod in the 1960s and at the gig. “Hendrix gave two sets,” he said, “That was the normal arrangement for the Corn’ole. Both sets usually 45 minutes to one hour each, and there was absolutely no music to be had after 11:30pm… Hendrix, at the end of the performance, walked straight up to a few of us standing just there and one of my mates lit his joint for him. They were so knocked out by that I recall.”
The Corn Exchange was no stranger to music royalty as the likes of Bowie and Pink Floyd also played there, but it’s likely no one will have left quite the same impression Hendrix did when he walked off stage that day.
See the earliest known footage of Jimi Hendrix, below.
