Fifty years ago one of the oddest pairings in rock history took place when Jimi Hendrix toured in the States with the Monkees. It was a short-lived pairing – Jimi and his Experience would split after only seven shows – but one that, with the benefit of 50 years of hindsight, seems ripe with unfulfilled potential.
Many Hendrix and Beatles fans will have heard Jimi’s versions of "Day Tripper" and "Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band"; how cool would it be for Hendrix and Monkees fans to have tapes of Jimi – preferably on stage with Davey, Micky, Mike & Peter - cranking out versions of "I’m A Believer" and "Last Train To Clarksville"? Sadly such music was never made: from Jimi’s perspective at least, the pairing was a serious mismatch and it couldn’t be over quick enough. He played his last show on the tour on July 17, 1967.
Interestingly enough, for a band that was deemed to be nothing but teenybopper fodder by most, the Monkees occasionally hung in very cool circles. Mike Nesmith apparently first heard Hendrix at a dinner party in London which he attended alongside John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Eric Clapton. What a shame Jimi himself wasn’t there!
Anyway, check out this fab mini-documentary that explains how the tour came to be and what happened while it lasted.
And don’t forget to check out our I Like: The Monkees playlist on Spotify!
-DL
