It was an ordinary day at the BBC studios in London—or so they thought.
On January 4, 1969, Jimi Hendrix, already a rock icon, arrived with his band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, to perform on Happening for Lulu, a BBC show hosted by the charming “To Sir, With Love” singer Lulu. What followed was an unscripted act of rebellion that would become the stuff of rock ‘n’ roll legend.
The plan seemed innocent enough. Hendrix and his band were to open with “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” and follow it up with “Hey Joe,” their breakout hit. The twist was that Lulu would join them onstage for a duet and transition into her closing number.
This saccharine collaboration was anathema to Hendrix, whose untamed artistry clashed with the tidy, mainstream veneer of the program.
Bassist Noel Redding later recounted the pre-show atmosphere in his memoir, Are You Experienced? The band, finding the BBC scene “so straight,” decided they needed a little creative enhancement.
In their dressing room, they attempted to prepare some hash for smoking but accidentally dropped the lump down the sink.
Redding described the ensuing chaos as they scrambled to retrieve it, eventually convincing a maintenance man to lend them tools under the pretense of rescuing a lost ring. Their efforts paid off, and they went onstage suitably loosened up.
The performance began as planned, with Hendrix tearing into “Voodoo Child” in his signature style, feedback and all. Lulu, seated awkwardly in the audience, tried to keep her composure. “That was really hot,” she chirped, before introducing their next song, “Hey Joe.”
The band launched into the classic, but Hendrix brought the music to a screeching halt halfway through. “We’d like to stop playing this rubbish,” he declared, “and dedicate a song to the Cream, regardless of what kind of group they may be in. We dedicate this to Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Jack Bruce.”
With that, the band pivoted into an instrumental version of “Sunshine of Your Love,” a tribute to the recently disbanded Cream. It was a bold, unsanctioned move, and the BBC producers were apoplectic.
Producer Stanley Dorfman was livid, watching helplessly as Hendrix and his band played on, ignoring cues to stop. They steamrolled past the segment where Lulu was supposed to join them, through the closing dialogue, and into the end of the broadcast. Dorfman, reportedly tearing his hair out, could do nothing but wait for the live feed to cut.
Redding later described the performance as one of their most relaxed and enjoyable, even if it enraged the show’s producers. The stunt resulted in Hendrix being banned from the BBC, but it also immortalized his appearance in rock lore.
Years later, the audacious act inspired another musical renegade. In 1977, Elvis Costello, performing on Saturday Night Live, abruptly switched songs mid-performance, citing Hendrix’s BBC rebellion as his muse.
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