Mary Hopkin's release party

 February 13, 1969

Sgt Pepper at the Saville Theater

It was 50 years ago today that Jimi Hendrix decided to play.....

I am sure that we have all heard the story about when Jimi Hendrix played "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" at the Saville Theater in 1967.   Paul McCartney was in the audience and he was so impressed that Jimi had learned the song so quickly and was willing to perform it in concert.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience on June 4, 1967

Paul says this in "Many Years from Now"  

It would be one of his first gigs in London. Jimi was a sweetie, a very nice guy. I remember him opening at the Saville on a Sunday night, 4 June 1967. Brian Epstein used to rent it when it was usually dark on the Sunday. Jimi opened, the curtains flew back and he came walking forward, playing 'Sgt. Pepper', and it had only been released on the Thursday so that was like the ultimate compliment. It's still obviously a shining memory for me, because I admired him so much anyway, he was so accomplished. To think that that album had meant so much to him as to actually do it by the Sunday night, three days after the release. He must have been so into it, because normally it might take a day for rehearsal and then you might wonder whether you'd put it in, but he just opened with it. It's a pretty major compliment in anyone's book. I put that down as one of the great honours of my career. I mean, I'm sure he wouldn't have thought of it as an honour, I'm sure he thought it was the other way round, but to me that was like a great boost.

Paul has told this story at just about every concert since 2010.  He adds to the story something about how Jimi  used the whammy bar on the song and his guitar got totally out of tune and he asked for help tuning it and Eric Clapton came and helped him out.


Let's take a little closer look at this classic story.....


1.  Was this really one of Jimi's first gigs in London?

No.    Jimi had been in London in January of 1967.     As a matter of fact, Paul had seen him at least twice during that time.    Once he and Ringo saw Jimi perform at the Bag o' Nails (January 11).   And on January 29, 1967 all of the Beatles and Mal and Cyn saw Jimi open for the The Who at the Saville Theater.

Many people claim this photo was from June 1967, but Paul has a mustache, which he had shaved off by June. 

So while it is true that June 4, 1967 was ONE of Jimi's first London performances, it wasn't the first time Paul had seen him perform.   Many assume that it was.


2.  Jimi had no idea that the Beatles would be there that night

No one really knows the answer to this one.    However, as Paul explains Brian Epstein would rent out the Saville on Sunday nights.   He had been doing this for several months.     Jimi would have known that Epstein owned the theater and that the members of the Beatles came to shows there frequently.    So while he wouldn't know for for certain if one or more of the Beatles would show up, he knew there was a chance.

So who did attend the show that night?  According to eye witness, Lizzie Bravo, who was there, Paul McCartney, Jane Asher, George Harrison, Pattie Boyd and Cynthia Lennon were at the concert.

Paul and Jane arrive for the concert 

3.  Did Jimi first hear "Sgt. Pepper" on a Friday and then perform it on a Sunday?

It makes for a great story.   Sgt. Pepper was released on June 1 and on the 4th Jimi Hendrix had memorized the entire song and worked it out well enough to perform it in front of an audience.   Sgt. Pepper was supposed to be released in the UK on June 1st.    However----for reasons that I am not 100% sure about, the release date was pushed up to May 26, 1967 and some fans even were able to purchase it on May 25.      Hendrix had been in London since October of 1966.   So he would have been able to get a copy of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band anytime after May 26.   While learning the song in 8 days is still impressive, it isn't  the "3 days" that everyone always claims unless someone knows that June 1 was the date Jimi first heard the song.

Jimi shopping on Carnaby Street in June of 1967 

I am not even going to touch the whole "Eric Clapton tune my guitar" thing because Paul is the only person that has ever told that story.  

Linda with Jimi

I saw this photo as a thumb nail and I thought it was 2 of the Beatles during the Magical Mystery tour with a fan.   And then I clicked on it and I was actually surprised to see that it wasn't a fan, but Linda!  And those aren't the Beatles...but there is Jimi Hendrix.   It must be getting late because my eyes are playing tricks on me.  But still....neat photo!

2nd generation fans

I found this online this week at postsecret. Wow...someone sure has me pegged! I have been saying for the past 20 odd years that I should have been born in the 1950's and had been a teenager in the 1960's. I am sure I am not the only 2nd generation Beatles fan that feel this way. I know this totally isn't Beatles related but it hit home with me and I figured it would with many of you as well.

Jimmy Hendrix

I don't make a point of posting photos of people who aren't Beatles or Beatle related, but I thought this fan photo of Jimi Hendrix that I recently found was interesting because it was taken in the spring of 1967 in London. This would have been taken around the same time Jimi played the Sgt. Pepper song in concert just 2 days after it's official release and Paul was so impressed. (See the Anthology if you don't know what I am talking about it.). I thought it was neat to see a fan photo of Jimi Hendrix from that time....