Iconic Black and White Image of Jimi Hendrix

The Jimi Hendrix Photo Story

It was January 1968, and I was playing in a somewhat known rock band in Houston. To be honest, we were riding the coattails of the original lineup—only one original member remained. A former bandmate, who owned the rights to the name, brought three of us in from a group I’d joined after arriving in Houston the previous May.

He happened to be attending law school and working part-time at H&H Music in Sharpstown Mall. That’s where tickets were going on sale for The Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Houston Music Hall. We stopped by the store the night before the sale, and he casually mentioned, “Yeah, they just came in.” Next thing I knew, I had a front-row ticket for the Sunday night show—February 11th, 1968.

The Night of the Concert

Three opening acts took the stage, including a local band called The Moving Sidewalks—featuring a Lee High School senior named Billy Gibbons. They had the nerve to play “Purple Haze” during their set. You had to admire the guts. Hendrix must have agreed; I later saw a backstage photo of him smiling with the band.

Armed with my Pentax H3V 35mm camera, I took a few shots from that coveted front row. One of them—this one—I humbly submit, turned out pretty damn good. If memory serves, he was playing “The Wind Cries Mary” when I clicked the shutter.

A Fortunate Survivor

What amazes me to this day is that this negative has survived 56 years of moves, floods, and even a house fire. Somehow, it made it through it all.

This is a moment in music history—and in my own life—that I’m incredibly lucky to have preserved and now share as fine art.

The Ticket Stub

The Jimi Hendrix Image

The image is offered  as an edition of 25, in each of two sizes. with 2 artist proofs.