Classic Rock
Eddie Kramer recalls Jimi Hendrix and Rolling Stones backstage meeting
Legendary producer Eddie Kramer (Kiss, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and more) recalled in an interview with Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French when he went with Jimi Hendrix to a Rolling Stones concert.
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Eddie Kramer recalls Jimi Hendrix and Rolling Stones backstage meeting:
(There was) a concert in ’69 that I was very fortunate to go to, and the history of that one is kind of fun. I know exactly the dates and the time because it was November 27th, 1969 [Jimi’s last birthday]. I got a phone call…”
“It was very unusual for me to get a phone call from Jimi. ‘Hey man, what’s happening? You want to go to The Rolling Stones, Madison Square Garden tonight?’ ‘Yeah, OK. Yes, Jimi, that would be fantastic, thank you.’ So he said, ‘Meet me backstage.’
“This is how the whole thing comes about – we met up backstage, we go up in the elevator, everybody knows everybody, of course, The Stones and Jimi are all friends, and it was just wonderful. Backstage, talking to all the folks that I know there, The Stones and everything, I had this beautiful shot of Mick [Jagger] and Jimi sitting on a bench, basically in the dressing room with the concrete blocks behind them and the hangers.
“It’s just such a beautiful shot, I treasure that. It’s these two iconic, wonderful rock personas sitting together, just talking. It always stuck in my mind, ‘Jesus, if I only had a video camera…’ Part of that in my head is also following up with – there was a show that Jimi did do in November that I did go to and take pictures of him backstage just by himself with a Flying V, practicing blues, and that show was a great show.”
Kramer
Edwin H. Kramer (born 19 April 1942) is a South African-English recording producer and engineer. He has collaborated with several artists now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Including the Beatles, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, the Kinks, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, John Mellencamp, and Carlos Santana.
Kramer has engineered and/or produced records for other well-known artists in various genres. They include Anthrax, Joe Cocker, Loudness, Peter Frampton, John Mayall, Ten Years After, Mott the Hoople. Also John Sebastian, Carly Simon, Dionne Warwick, Small Faces, Sir Lord Baltimore and Whitesnake.