Sculpture Saturday: Jimi Hendrix

Statue of Jimi Hendrix in Freshwater, Isle of Wight.

The Isle of Wight Festival had rightly taken its place at the pinnacle of music festivals by 1970. On this small island off the south coast of the UK the August 1970 event welcomed over more than 600,000 people to tune in and freak out. It caused an uproar on what was, until then, a sedate holiday resort and divided opinion on the island like nothing before or since. Letters to The Telegraph and The Times (mostly from people who weren’t there) fuelled the debate and there was a definite sense that this was the end, or the beginning, of something. Along with Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Donovan, Jethro Tull, Miles Davis, The Doors, The Who, The Moody Blues, Procol Harum and more, they rocked the island. A weekend ticket would have set you back £3: in comparison, next year’s prices run from £264 to £362 per adult for the weekend.

Just a few days later, Jimi Hendrix died from a drug overdose.

The link to his Isle of Wight performance is https://youtu.be/bpoqD-Z31yI

6 thoughts on “Sculpture Saturday: Jimi Hendrix”

Yes, they were amazing days and I think we young people were more adventurous as well because we went off travelling without the benefit of mobile phones or easy ways to get money should anything arise – even if parents could afford to send money which was doubtful. But we were also lucky because it was a time of full employment (for my age group anyway) and jobs could always be had even if it wasn’t what you wanted.

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What amazing days those were! Or is it just rose-coloured spectacles because we were young? I don’t think so, but times have certainly changed, Mari. Happy Sunday! 🙂 🙂

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You tell me! I’m still looking for the lost years. This must be one of the worst photos I’ve ever taken, but I’ve been obsessed with Hendrix recently and just had to put this up. I should have lots but they are probably all on slides and will take time to access so this had to do. The sculpture is difficult to photograph as it is very black and doesn’t show detail well unless in full sun when it goes this peculiar grey colour.

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I remember that day very well, commiserating with school friends (though tbh, none of us knew much about him, we just thought it was cool to be upset). It’s 50 years ago! How did that happen?

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