Very few rock ‘n’ roll presences are as iconic or enduring as that of Jimi Hendrix. The virtuosic guitarist had a heavy hand in evolving rock music from the 1950s and early ’60s rhythm and blues tradition; in the process, he pioneered his own unique style and earned worldwide admiration as one of the greatest guitarists in living memory.

Since his untimely death in 1970, aged just 27, Hendrix has become almost mythical in status, much like his contemporary and fellow “27 Club” member Jim Morrison. Aside from the strange rock ‘n’ roll romanticism of early passing, Hendrix has remained elusive since his stage presence was so far removed from an ostensibly subdued and introverted off-stage persona.

In an interview with Classic Rock, Dave Davies, the guitarist of The Kinks, once appraised Hendrix’s personality: “In real life, Jimi Hendrix was nothing like the wild guy that he portrayed on stage. He was a quiet, introverted guy like Ray [Davies] was. He was explosive on stage but very softly spoken off it.”

In the public eye, Hendrix was cool as a cucumber. He dressed in the finest hippie chic, carrying himself with humble elegance and letting the guitar do all the talking. All the while, the guitarist’s dark, piercing eyes betrayed depths of introversion, wisdom and potential, the full extent of which we sadly never experienced.

Although millions of fans worldwide continue to connect with Hendrix through his music, very few had the pleasure of befriending the man behind the guitar. Fortunately, the esteemed screenwriter Jonathan Stathakis formed a unique friendship with Hendrix in 1969 and has shared a personal account of the ‘Purple Haze’ singer in his new book Jimi and Me: The Experience of a Lifetime.

Hendrix first caught wind of Stathakis in 1969 after seeing some of his work in an obscure indie film in London. The guitarist had his management seek the young screenwriter out to collaborate on his sci-fi movie script, Moondust. The two quickly hit it off, and within weeks, Stathakis found himself in the eye of the rampant rock ‘n’ roll storm, immersed in a throbbing culture of hard drugs and promiscuity.

In his new book, Stathakis remembers his wild ride with Hendrix and his entourage, with never-before-seen photographs and never-before-told stories. Following the icon’s story from the aftermath of Electric Ladyland, his final album with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Stathakis’s memoirs take a fresh look at Hendrix’s iconic performance at Woodstock ‘69.

Below, we present a selection of Stathakis’ photographs from Jimi and Me: The Experience of a Lifetime. Most of them see the performer in action, in the studio and on stage at Woodstock.

Captioning the image of a blurred Hendrix smiling as he turns to the camera, Stathakis notes: “This was a favourite shot of Jimi’s that I took at Woodstock. The New York Times Magazine often ran photos that were out of focus as a creative statement. He called this his ‘New York Times Magazine shot’. He smiled when he caught me in his view.”

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