Jimi Hendrix and Michelle Phillips and “Mama” Cass Elliot of The Mamas & the Papas backstage at the Hollywood Bowl, August, 1967. These candid photographs were taken by Henry Diltz. Hendrix opened for the group and tickets were only $5. He returned as a headliner in 1968.
After the Seattle-born Jimi Hendrix moved to London in September of 1966, the Experience was formed with a British rhythm section consisting of drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding. The new band promptly enjoyed commercial success in the form of three top 10 singles and a string of performances that overwhelmed audiences and won praise from the likes of Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Word of these achievements reached Reprise Records chief Mo Ostin and a US deal for Hendrix was confirmed in March 1967. Two months later, at the urging of McCartney, the Jimi Hendrix Experience made their triumphant US debut at the Monterey International Pop Festival in June. However, the immediate prosperity the band enjoyed in the UK was not replicated stateside. Their first two US singles were flops – “Hey Joe” didn’t chart at all, “Purple Haze” only reached #65 – and Are You Experienced wouldn’t be released domestically until late August.
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