By Steven C. Pesant. The Miami Pop Festival was the brainchild of promoter Michael Lang, who would later co-create the iconic Woodstock festival in 1969. At just 24 years old, Lang envisioned a music festival that celebrated the burgeoning counterculture movement. The festival attracted an estimated 25,000 attendees, all eager to witness the convergence of musical legends in a single venue, especially the headliners: The Jimi Hendrix Experience who were riding high following the release of their sophomore album Axis: Bold As Love. Miami Pop marked the first rock festival on the east coast and paved new pathways for large music gatherings throughout the United States and around the world for years to come.

Interview by Jane de Mendelssohn, International Times. By March 1969 Jimi Hendrix was at the top of his game. Still brimming with the success that The Experience's third studio album, Electric Ladyland had brought them, and the immensely successful performances at London's Royal Albert Hall on February 18th and 24th. Hendrix was poised not only to convert the recordings made at the Royal Albert Hall into a proposed live release – his creative influences were now focused on his next studio masterpiece, First Rays Of The New Rising Sun – a spectacular double-LP set that unfortunately, Jimi would never live to fulfill. On March 11th of that year, Jane de Mendelssohn of the International Times sat down with Hendrix at his Brook Street apartment in London to talk about his musical future.

by Dave Thompson. Ever since he played the “United Block Association Benefit” in Harlem on September 5, 1969, Jimi Hendrix had been telling friends and associates how he wanted to do more shows like that, more gigs, which gave something back to the community, in return for all it had given to him. On Wednesday, January 28, 1970, Jimi Hendrix heralded his Band Of Gypsys to Madison Square Garden to headline the “Winter Festival For Peace,” a fundraising event to support the Vietnam Moratorium Committee (VMC) through arrangements with Peter Yarrow and local promoter Sid Bernstein. While the event raised $75,000 it also marked the last performance of the Band Of Gypsys. This classic story from the pages of Experience Hendrix Magazine revisits this fateful event.

Dave Thompson. Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the house… It was an inspiring time, but a fraught one regardless. With The Experience gone preparations were underway for the newly formed Band Of Gypsys featuring Jimi Hendrix, Billy Cox and Buddy Miles, to make their four-show debut at the Fillmore East on New Year’s Eve. As the trio huddled at the non-descript Baggy’s studio in New York to work on new songs, Hendrix mixed in a few unexpected surprises including three holiday-inspired songs including “Little Drummer Boy,” “Silent Night,” and “Auld Lang Syne.”

Steven C. Pesant. The Jimi Hendrix Experience made their meteoric debut with the release of their first single “Hey Joe” b/w “Stone Free” on Friday, December 16, 1966. A song adored by both Hendrix and his new manager/producer Chas Chandler, the Billy Roberts penned track made popular by The Leaves and Tim Rose; became the first studio recordings of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Hendrix’s interpretation showcased both his guitar and vocal prowess and helped paved the path for the meteoric rise of the new trio.

By John McDermott. As technicians scurried around him making last minute preparations prior to filming, Billy Cox sat comfortably in a New York recording studio, reflecting upon the August 30, 1970 performance at the Isle Of Wight and the tumultuous events which led up to the group's performance. Like those of fellow band mate Mitch Mitchell, In this classic interview from 2000, Billy's comments provide an insightful perspective for Jimi's fans.

Rob Lewis. A close look at Jimi Hendrix’s short time spent in Wisconsin reveals that it all started and ended in Madison. The small city of Madison figured into The Jimi Hendrix Experience's tour itinerary twice—1968 and 1970 were two very different years—with the small club scene slowly evolving to large stadium size venues. Both Madison gigs proved to be standout performances. Rob Lewis takes us on an historical journey through The Experience’s two visits to Wisconsin’s capital city in 1968 and 1970.

By John McDermott. Like so many entities associated with his rich legacy, the film Jimi Plays Berkeley took form in the turbulent vacuum created by Hendrix’s untimely death in September 1970. That it became a commercial property when other footage of Hendrix concerts languished elsewhere in vaults or left unclaimed was due entirely to the maneuvering of Jimi’s manager Michael Jeffery. While a flawed presentation, Jimi Plays Berkeley remains an essential snapshot of just how special a Jimi Hendrix concert performance was. Here’s the behind-the-scenes story and the long strange cinematic trip behind its original release.