What was the first hit single by Jimi Hendrix?
Jimi Hendrix is still celebrated as one of the finest musicians of all time, even five decades after his death in 1970, but even he needed to start somewhere. Before cementing his status as a pioneer of blistering rock music with tracks such as ‘Purple Haze’, ‘Voodoo Chile’ and the iconic cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘All Along the Watchtower’, Hendrix needed a breakout hit single, and, boy, was it a classic.
During his early years, Hendrix caused a stir in the clubs of New York City, blowing audiences away with his distinctive playing style that took the blues in a more visceral direction than ever before. Leading his group, Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, it wouldn’t be long before his star power was noticed by the powers that be. One night in the summer of 1966, Hendrix was playing Cafe Wha? in NYC’s Greenwich Village when his life would change forever thanks to Chas Chandler, the former bassist of The Animals.
Chandler was at the club on the recommendation of Linda Keith, the girlfriend of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, who had been “mesmerised” by Hendrix’s performance in a New York club a few months earlier. Chandler was also immediately alerted to the brilliance and potential of Jimi Hendrix when watching him perform in person. Making his segue into the world of artist management and music production, the former Animals man could not believe what he was seeing.
Things moved quickly, and in September of that year, Chandler whisked the musician to London. It was in the English capital that Jimi Hendrix would become a star. Together, they formed The Jimi Hendrix Experience with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, two excellent musicians who facilitated the guitarist’s magic. Within two years, the band would enjoy monumental success, with their leader cited as one of the era’s definitive heroes.
Interestingly, as Hendrix moved into a more rock-oriented area whilst playing with Jimmy James and the Blue Flames in New York City in 1966, the rock standard ‘Hey Joe’ became one of his regular go-to numbers. Notably, his arrangement was a slower tempo than some of the most famous versions, in the vein of Tim Rose’s then-recent rendition.
During that life-changing performance at Cafe Wha?, the first song Hendrix played was ‘Hey Joe’, a track Chandler was intrigued by the thought of promoting. After Hendrix was taken to London and given the star treatment, in October 1966, The Experience were signed to the newly formed record label, Track Records, formed by Kit Lambert and Christ Stamp, the managers of established British rock act The Who.
On October 23rd, the trio recorded their first song, ‘Hey Joe’. Following this, Hendrix’s first songwriting effort after arriving on British shores was ‘Stone Free’, which was recorded a few days later on November 2nd. However, ‘Hey Joe’ would have the most impact. The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s version of the song was released in December 1966 as their first single and became a hit in the UK, entering the top ten on the singles chart in January and peaking at number six. This resoundingly signalled the American’s arrival in Britain, a country he loved.
Strangely, though, it took his home nation a little longer to realise his brilliance. ‘Hey Joe’ was released in the US on May 1st, 1967, backed by ’51st Anniversary’, but it failed to chart.
