The axeman cometh: Jimi Hendrix through the lens of Ed Caraeff

One of rock music’s most iconic images is created as Jimi Hendrix literally ignites his guitar at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. “The time I burned my guitar it was like a sacrifice. You sacrifice the things you love. I love my guitar.”

Releasing he was witnessing something pretty special, Caraeff didn't hold back with his film. Time has proved this a wise decision...

Bass player Noel Redding – looking an absolute dead ringer for Disco Stu of The Simpsons – watches Hendrix ignite the crowd (and shortly his guitar).  

Drummer Mitch Mitchell gives it some welly. Considered one of the best drummers of all time, Mitchell's Christian name was actually 'John': his parents weren't that unimaginative. 

"Rodney and I went to the Bowl early, just to hang-out and talk to the bands. I took colour film with me this time. Back then, colour was expensive and I didn't have a lot of it. But I'm glad I took those photos – if only to show how electric the clothes were." Ed Caraeff. 

A year before headlining the Bowl, the Experience supported folk band The Mamas & The Papas at the venue. This appearance proved less successful, as Hendrix’s rebellious stylings alienated the folksy audience. “Los Angeles was hard on us,” admitted bassist Noel Redding. “We died a death at the Bowl. The Mamas & The Papas’ folk-rock type crowd were the very opposite of our own followers.” 

Hendrix cultivated a flamboyant personal style typical of the late 1960s. “The hipsters all dressed like that,” recalls Ed Caraeff. “The brighter, the better.” This photo was taken in Anaheim, California, 1968 – the year after the Summer of Love. 

Hendrix shared a bill with The Animals at the Anaheim Convention Center, 1968. Eric Burdon, lead singer of The Animals, told Hendrix that he was embarrassed his band were closing the show, as Hendrix was clearly the superior performer. Burdon’s bandmates were not pleased. Yet the hedonistic lifestyle was starting to take its toll on Hendrix. Reviews of the Anaheim gigs were poor.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience headlines the Hollywood Bowl in 1968. Excited fans leapt into the moat that separated the band from the audience. Water splashed a stage covered with electronic equipment, but thankfully nobody was harmed.

“Naturally, you try to play a little better when you get good feelings from an audience. I have to hold myself back sometimes because I get so excited – no, not excited: involved” – Jimi Hendrix. 

The Jimi Hendrix Experience headlined Newport '69, a festival plagued by crowd trouble, one which signalled the beginning of the end of the outdoor summer festival. The band only played for 30 minutes due to an erratic Hendrix. Hendrix was so disappointed by his performance he played an unscheduled jam session on Sunday afternoon.