The shocking confession Jimi Hendrix made to Ronnie Wood
The 1960s was a transformative period for practically every aspect of popular culture, especially in England. In the heart of London, young people indulged in new ideas and styles, fed up with the post-war inertia dominating the country. Fashion was radically changed by young designers and models, such as Mary Quant, who epitomised the generation’s preoccupation with innovation and liberation through the design of the mini-skirt. Alongside changing fashions, music spearheaded this new cultural revolution, with bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones changing everything.
This collection of British bands, which also included the likes of The Kinks and The Who, quickly made their way over to the United States. The ‘British Invasion’ was monumental, helping to shape the direction of guitar music. Meanwhile, in the United States, Jimi Hendrix attempted to start a career as a musician, although he initially struggled to find success. In 1966, he met Linda Keith, the girlfriend of The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards, who thought Hendrix’s guitar playing was magnificent.
Before long, Hendrix was introduced to multiple producers, with Chas Chandler from The Animals agreeing to sign him in London. From there, Hendrix found success in the United Kingdom, which quickly became his home. He impressed all of his contemporaries, such as Eric Clapton, who recalled watching him perform for the first time (via Jimi Hendrix: Musician): “He played just about every style you could think of, and not in a flashy way. I mean, he did a few of his tricks, like playing with his teeth and behind his back, but it wasn’t in an upstaging sense at all, and that was it… He walked off, and my life was never the same again.”
Hendrix and his band The Experience peaked at number six on the UK Singles Charts with his first song, ‘Hey Joe’, swiftly followed by ‘Purple Haze’, which scored a place at number three. Soon enough, Hendrix was the talk of the town, renowned for his insane guitar-playing skills and innovative approach to song composition. Yet, despite his success, he had very little confidence in himself.
Ronnie Wood from The Rolling Stones, who shared a London flat with Hendrix for a short period, discussed the legendary musician in his autobiography, Ronnie. He explained that Hendrix was insecure about his singing voice. “The thing that struck me about him was how he had so little self-confidence,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it. He confessed to me that night that he hated his own voice, that he couldn’t stand singing, and that he wished he could just stand onstage and play. That’s what he really wanted to do. Just play.”
Sadly, Hendrix’s career was cut short in 1970 when he passed away. Yet his final performance – an impromptu jam at Soho’s Ronnie Scott’s – allowed the musician to demonstrate his guitar-playing talents without the pressures of singing. He died just 48 hours later.
