In addition to his unworldly gifts as a musician, Jimi Hendrix possessed a face that the camera just loved. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of his passing on 18 September 1970, and to celebrate the upcoming release of West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology, a 4CD/1DVD box set, the San Francisco Art Exchange kicked off a month-long tribute to the late guitarist called Can You See Me? - A Life Through The Lens.
Can You See Me?, which features 40 images, some of which have never been see till now, includes works by photographers such as Ed Caraeff, Bruce Fleming, Elliot Landy and Gered Mankowitz, among others.
And there's even some shots taken by Hendrix producer and engineer Eddie Kramer, who attended the opening last Saturday (25 September) and gave attendees an advance preview of West Coast Seattle Boy.
On the following pages, you can gaze at a sampling of the wondrous shots on display at the San Francisco Art Exchange. And best of all, you can even buy prints, online or in person. Visit the gallery's official website for pricing and more information.
Our first photo takes us back to 1969, when the times were indeed a-changin'. The Beatles were breaking up, Woodstock had come and gone, and The Stones were 10 days shy of thing called Altamont.
On 27 November 1969, The Rolling Stones, on their first US concert tour in three years, gave one of their most historic lives shows ever. Eddie Kramer happened to be backstage and snapped a couple of rock icons, Jimi Hendrix and Mick Jagger, sittin' around talking before the big gig.
"On the occasion of Jimi's birthday, he visited The Stones at their Madison Square Garden concert," says Kramer. "He kindly asked me to tag along."