The American guitarist and singer Jimi Hendrix had a short career that tragically ended in 1970 at the age 27. But it was enough to change completetly the course of the electric guitar, inspiring countless generations of artists, including the ones who were some of the most important and famous ones from the late 60s. Some of them were The Beatles who went to see him playing live frequently and once he decided to pay tribute to them with a surprise cover of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”.
Paul McCartney talked about that performance many times over the decades and now Hendrix’s estate released the official recording of that live performancce covering The Beatles. The track is part of the new Hendrix live album which was recorded at the Hollywood Bowl in August 18, 1967 when he was the opening act for The Mamas & The Papas.
Hear Jimi Hendrix covering “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”:
The official statement about the new album said: “This live concert performance of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, captured just five days before the US release of Are You Experienced, their album debut, is notable for being one of the last times the band performed in front of an audience as relative unknowns.”
“Having already conquered the band’s UK base as well as Continental Europe over the previous ten months, the vast majority of the 17,000 plus Los Angeles concert goers were there to see headliners The Mamas & The Papas and were caught off guard by Jimi Hendrix’s electrifying musicality and showmanship.”
“Finally, the set can be enjoyed by the rest of the world for the first time ever; amazingly, not a single second of this unique, two-track live recording has ever been released before in any capacity, either via official channels or elsewise,” The statement said.