January 1967

Jimi’s onstage antics bring him widespread coverage and interview opportunities in Record Mirror, New Musical Express (NME), Disc and Music Echo, and other British music magazines. The band tours extensively outside of London and gains further exposure through their records being played by pirate radio stations and Radio Luxemburg. A row about Kathy Etchingham’s cooking inspires Jimi to compose “The Wind Cries Mary,” which the band records in a single session the following day. As the month progresses, the Experience record “Purple Haze,” “51st Anniversary,” “Fire.” A who’s-who of British rock musicians – the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Marianne Faithfull, and Donovan among them – regularly attend the Experience’s London performances. Staid British publications begin refering to Jimi with the racist term “Wild Man of Borneo.” In a series of interviews, some fuelled by his consumption of LSD, Jimi discuss his life, songwriting techniques, fears, loves, and spiritual beliefs. At month’s end, the Experience are filmed at the Saville Theatre.