Episode 147 of the acclaimed podcast series, A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs, dedicates its longest episode to date, exceeding two hours, to dissect the enigmatic journey of “Hey Joe,” famously performed by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. This deep dive explores the rich and convoluted history of a song that transcends genres and generations, becoming a rock music standard with roots stretching back into folk tradition.
A jukebox, with the words History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
The story of the Hey Joe Song is not a simple linear narrative of creation and performance. Instead, it’s a fascinating example of the “folk process,” a concept we’ve previously encountered in tales of songs like “Stagger Lee” and “Ida Red.” These aren’t singular, static compositions but rather evolving entities, collections of related musical narratives that share a title, theme, or melodic core, constantly reshaped by each new voice that interprets them.
Think of “Hound Dog,” morphing from Willie Mae Thornton’s bluesy rendition to Elvis Presley’s rock and roll explosion, retaining only a few lyrical fragments. Songs are fluid, organic, and every artist leaves their unique imprint, leading to transformations that are often unpredictable, like a musical game of telephone.
Yet, amidst this constant evolution, a central idea often persists. In the case of the hey joe song lineage, it revolves around a stark narrative: a man, a .44 caliber weapon, and a woman accused of infidelity. The escape route often leads south, to Jericho or across the border to Juarez, Mexico. One of the earliest recorded iterations of this narrative is Clarence Ashley’s 1929 recording of “Little Sadie,” an older folk song that lays the groundwork for the story we know today.
[Excerpt: Clarence Ashley, “Little Sadie”]
Interestingly, “Little Sadie” shares a melodic kinship with another family of songs popular in the same era, the “Cocaine Blues” or “Take a Whiff on Me” group.
[Excerpt: The Memphis Jug Band, “Cocaine Habit Blues”]
These two song families began to intertwine, with the protagonist of “Little Sadie” now fueled by cocaine, adding another layer to the already dark narrative of infidelity and murder. W. A. Nichol’s Western Aces seem to have recorded the first version that explicitly combined these themes under the title “Cocaine Blues,” presenting a Western Swing interpretation.
[Excerpt: W.A. Nichol’s Western Aces, “Cocaine Blues”]
Woody Guthrie also recorded his version of “Cocaine Blues” around the same period, though the exact timeline is debated. Guthrie’s version notably credits himself as the songwriter and introduces a final verse absent in earlier recordings.
[Excerpt: Woody Guthrie, “Cocaine Blues”]
While this verse didn’t become a standard part of subsequent versions, it demonstrably influenced Mose Allison’s jazz classic, “Parchman Farm.”
[Excerpt: Mose Allison, “Parchman Farm”]
However, the most widely recognized recordings of “Cocaine Blues” came from Johnny Cash. He recorded it under both “Cocaine Blues” and “Transfusion Blues” titles. Cash’s version places the murderer in Folsom Prison, famously performed on his career-rejuvenating live album recorded at Folsom Prison in January 1968.
[Excerpt: Johnny Cash, “Cocaine Blues (live at Folsom Prison)”]
Even before this iconic live prison performance, Johnny Cash had been performing in prisons for over a decade, becoming a hero to inmates since his hit “Folsom Prison Blues.” It was during one of these prison shows that Billy Roberts, a relatively unknown folk singer, opened for Cash and performed his own song. This song echoed the core narrative of “Cocaine Blues” – a man, a .44, a cheating woman, and a flight to Mexico. This song was “Hey Joe”.
Billy Roberts, while not commercially successful, was a respected figure in the Greenwich Village folk scene of the 1950s. At Gerde’s Folk City, he met Niela Miller, an aspiring songwriter, and they formed a relationship. Miller penned “Mean World Blues,” recorded by Dave Van Ronk.
[Excerpt: Dave Van Ronk, “Mean World Blues”]
“Mean World Blues,” while original, bears a melodic resemblance to the traditional folk song “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” also known as “In the Pines” or “Black Girl.”
[Excerpt: Lead Belly, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?”]
This tradition of question-and-answer folk songs, exemplified by “Lord Randall” (which inspired Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”), was familiar to Miller.
[Excerpt: Ewan MacColl, “Lord Randall”]
Miller’s other known song, “Baby Please Don’t Go To Town,” firmly utilizes this question-and-answer structure, but with a more unusual chord progression for a folk song, incorporating the circle of fifths, more common in pop and jazz. She taught this song to Roberts, who later changed the lyrics.
[Excerpt: Niela Miller, “Baby, Please Don’t Go To Town”]
After their breakup, Roberts retained the melody but crafted new lyrics for the song, drawing from several sources. He kept the question-and-answer format, the “Cocaine Blues” narrative with the .44 and Mexican escape, and notably, a 1953 country hit also titled “Hey Joe!” originally performed by Carl Smith.
[Excerpt: Carl Smith, “Hey Joe!”]
Written by Boudleaux Bryant, this country “Hey Joe!” topped the country charts for eight weeks and was later covered by Frankie Laine, reaching the US pop top ten and number one in the UK, solidifying Laine’s status as a major British music star at the time.
[Excerpt: Frankie Laine, “Hey Joe”]
Kitty Wells also released an answer song to Carl Smith’s hit, reaching the country top ten that same year.
[Excerpt: Kitty Wells, “Hey Joe”]
Despite its initial success, Carl Smith’s “Hey Joe!” faded into relative obscurity for two decades, though The Searchers included it in their setlist, performing an arrangement influenced by “What’d I Say” on their 1963 “Live at the Star Club” album.
[Excerpt: The Searchers, “Hey Joe”]
This country “Hey Joe!” was undoubtedly in Billy Roberts’ mind when he traveled to the UK in the late 1950s, becoming briefly involved in the burgeoning UK folk scene. He collaborated with Len Partridge, a Scottish twelve-string guitarist who mentored Bert Jansch. Partridge, despite his significant contribution to refining the song, never sought songwriting credit, believing Roberts deserved sole recognition.
The earliest known recording of the completed hey joe song by Billy Roberts dates back to 1962, after his return to the US, though it remained unreleased for decades.
[Excerpt: Billy Roberts, “Hey Joe”]
Roberts regularly performed the song on the folk circuit and registered the copyright a few years after writing it. Niela Miller, upon hearing Roberts’ version, felt betrayed, recognizing her melody, chord progression, and question/answer structure. She claimed plagiarism, stating Roberts had altered the song just enough to circumvent copyright, omitting the bridge from her original composition. Despite Pete Seeger offering to testify on her behalf, Miller decided against pursuing legal action, disillusioned with the music industry.
Around this time, Roberts shared a prison bill with Johnny Cash, and an encounter occurred that further muddied the hey joe song‘s history. The details are inconsistent and debated, but the generally accepted story involves Roberts meeting Dino Valenti, a singer-songwriter (known for “Get Together” and previously featured in the “Mr. Tambourine Man” episode) who was incarcerated at the time.
[Excerpt: Dino Valenti, “Get Together”]
Valenti, seeking parole, needed to demonstrate potential income, specifically from songwriting. Roberts, according to the story, allowed Valenti to claim authorship of “Hey Joe” to aid his parole application. Valenti did claim authorship, registered his own copyright (despite Roberts’ prior registration), and signed a publishing deal with Third Story Music.
Valenti, a known figure in the folk scene, promoted “his” song, influencing two key figures: Vince Martin and David Crosby. Crosby, a friend of Valenti’s even before The Byrds, deeply admired “Hey Joe,” believing it to be Valenti’s creation. He frequently performed it solo, in a Mose Allison-esque arrangement, advocating for its inclusion on the first two Byrds albums. However, Jim Dickson, their manager and uncredited co-producer, strongly opposed it, deeming it incompatible with the Byrds’ image, a song about “a guy who murders his girlfriend in a jealous rage.”
Despite Dickson’s opposition, The Byrds eventually recorded “Hey Joe” during sessions for their “Fifth Dimension” album, released after Gene Clark’s departure. Facing a shortage of material and a desire to move beyond Dylan covers, they relented to Crosby’s insistence, even though only Crosby truly championed the song within the band.
Roger McGuinn later stated Crosby sang lead vocals on “Hey Joe” as it was “his” song in the sense he discovered and championed it. However, McGuinn revealed another reason for their eventual recording: “Love and The Leaves had a minor hit with it and David got so angry that we had to let him do it.”
[Excerpt: The Byrds, “Hey Joe”]
The Byrds’ arrangement, however, differed significantly from Crosby’s Mose Allison-inspired solo versions. It aligned with the prevalent Sunset Strip arrangement, popularized by Bryan MacLean, a former Byrds roadie and friend of Crosby’s. MacLean, from a privileged Hollywood background, shared Crosby’s flamboyant personality. He became a roadie for the Byrds, but his tenure was short-lived.
MacLean then pursued his own musical ambitions, unsuccessfully auditioning for The Monkees. He then met Arthur Lee and Johnny Echols at Ben Frank’s, a Los Angeles hangout. Lee and Echols, Black musicians from Memphis, formed Love. Echols recalled MacLean as a charismatic figure who “knew everybody and was flitting from table to table.”
Arthur Lee, influenced by Nat “King” Cole and determined to succeed, initially formed Arthur Lee and the LAGs (LA Group), emulating Booker T and the MGs.
[Excerpt: The Mar-Keys, “Last Night”]
They played as support acts and backing bands for touring blues and soul artists. Lee switched from organ to guitar, inspired by Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s showmanship. The LAGs, despite releasing “Rumble-Still-Skins,” struggled to gain traction.
[Excerpt: The LAGs, “Rumble-Still-Skins”]
Lee and Echols then worked with smaller labels, often owned by Bob Keane, producing records attempting to mimic popular styles of the time, such as Phil Spector and Curtis Mayfield.
[Excerpt: Little Ray, “I Been Trying”]
[Excerpt: Ronnie and the Pomona Casuals, “Slow Jerk”]
[Excerpt: Rosa Lee Brooks, “My Diary”]
Echols also played with Billy Preston, who shared stories of his European tour with Little Richard and his encounters with a Liverpool band idolizing Richard – The Beatles. Inspired by the British Invasion and bands like the Valentinos, Lee and Echols formed the American Four, incorporating white musicians and adopting a more eccentric image.
[Excerpt: The American Four, “Luci Baines”]
The American Four, however, also failed to achieve significant success.
[Excerpt: Arthur Lee and the American Four, “Stay Away”]
Inspired by The Byrds and The Rising Sons, a multiracial blues band, Lee and Echols rebranded again, becoming The Grass Roots. Lee envisioned a multiracial rock band, drawing inspiration from Malcolm X’s “grass roots” movement. Bryan MacLean joined The Grass Roots, bringing his connections and guitar skills.
However, another band, assembled by songwriters P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri for Dunhill Records, also adopted the name The Grass Roots, achieving commercial success with “Where Were You When I Needed You?”.
[Excerpt: Jan and Dean, “Where Were You When I Needed You?”]
[Excerpt: The Grass Roots, “Where Were You When I Needed You?”]
This forced Lee and Echols’ band to rename themselves Love, a name derived from a humorous reference to Lee’s former job at a bra shop. Bryan MacLean’s rendition of hey joe song, learned from David Crosby, became a highlight of Love’s early sets at clubs like Bido Lito’s. Their version was faster and incorporated the riff from The Searchers’ cover of “Needles and Pins,” a riff that became ubiquitous in the LA music scene, notably featured in The Byrds’ “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better.”
[Excerpt: The Searchers, “Needles and Pins”]
[Excerpt: The Byrds, “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better”]
This riff, simple yet catchy, became a defining feature of the LA folk-rock sound. Love recorded their arrangement of hey joe song for their debut album in January 1966.
[Excerpt: Love, “Hey Joe”]
However, Love’s version wasn’t the first recording of their arrangement, or even the first recording of hey joe song to be released from the LA scene. Kim Fowley produced “Wanted Dead or Alive” for The Rogues, a sequel to hey joe song with completely different lyrics, exploring the aftermath of Joe’s actions.
[Excerpt: The Rogues, “Wanted Dead or Alive”]
The Leaves released the first record titled “Hey Joe,” or rather “Hey Joe, Where You Gonna Go?”, featuring the now-iconic opening line “Hey Joe, where you going with that gun in your hand?”
[Excerpt: The Leaves, “Hey Joe Where You Gonna Go?”]
Johnny Echols later revealed he wrote these new lyrics as a prank on The Leaves, intending to give them fake words as they were trying to cover the song before Love released it. Roberts’ original lyrics had Joe going downtown to buy a gun with money in hand. The Leaves’ version also included a verse referencing Love’s former name.
[Excerpt: The Leaves, “Hey Joe Where You Gonna Go?”]
Initially, The Leaves credited the song as public domain, assuming it was traditional due to Bryan MacLean’s refusal to disclose the songwriter. Even before The Leaves, The Sons of Adam recorded hey joe song, but their version remains unreleased. Decca Records, unsure which version to release between Sons of Adam and another Decca artist who also recorded it, ultimately commissioned Gary Usher to record it with The Surfaris, known for “Wipe Out.”
[Excerpt: The Fender IV, “Malibu Run”]
Usher, despite favoring the Sons of Adam’s musicianship, recorded hey joe song with The Surfaris, using Love’s arrangement and the “gun in your hand” lyrics.
[Excerpt: Sons of Adam, “Feathered Fish”]
[Excerpt: The Surfaris, “Hey Joe”]
The Surfaris’ version, also crediting the song as public domain with songwriting credits to Usher and pseudonyms, became the first major label release of hey joe song. The Leaves released a second version that flopped, but their third attempt, released on Mira Records, became a hit in May 1966, reaching number 31.
[Excerpt: The Leaves, “Hey Joe”]
This hit version credited songwriting to Dino Valenti, much to the surprise of Billy Roberts, who had copyrighted the song in 1962 and was unaware of its garage rock popularity. Roberts confronted Third Story Music, leading to a compromise where royalties shifted to Roberts, though he retained only publishing rights to avoid legal battles.
Meanwhile, Tim Rose, another musician influenced by Dino Valenti’s performance of hey joe song, also recorded a version. Vince Martin, who learned the song from Valenti, believed it to be an Appalachian murder ballad and shared it with Rose. Rose claimed songwriting credit, maintaining it was a traditional folk song he significantly rewrote, although no prior evidence supports this claim. Rose’s slower, bluesier rendition of hey joe song, however, became the blueprint for future successful versions, albeit using the Echols-rewritten lyrics rather than Rose’s.
[Excerpt: Fred Neil and Vince Martin, “Morning Dew”]
[Excerpt: Tim Rose, “Morning Dew”]
[Excerpt: The Big Three, “The Banjo Song”]
[Excerpt: Shocking Blue, “Venus”]
[Excerpt: Tim Rose, “Hey Joe”]
Rose’s version crossed the Atlantic and caught the ear of Chas Chandler, bassist for The Animals. Chandler recognized the song’s hit potential. Linda Keith, Keith Richards’ girlfriend, introduced Chandler to a guitarist named Jimi Hendrix, whose guitar work Chandler had previously heard on Rosa Lee Brooks’ “My Diary.”
[Excerpt: Rosa Lee Brooks, “My Diary”]
This guitarist, then known as Maurice James, was Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix and Arthur Lee were close, with Lee claiming Hendrix adopted his style and attitude. Hendrix, born Johnny Allen Hendrix, had a tumultuous childhood. Music and science fiction provided solace. His early musical influences were diverse, ranging from Bob Wills to Dean Martin.
[Excerpt: Dean Martin, “Memories are Made of This”]
Exposure to blues came later, through Ernestine Benson’s record collection, including Muddy Waters.
[Excerpt: Muddy Waters, “Baby Please Don’t Go”]
Benson gifted Hendrix his first guitar. He learned left-handed, switching to right-handed when his disapproving father was present. Hendrix’s mother’s death at fifteen deepened his introversion. He started playing with friend Pernell Alexander, influenced by Elmore James. They saw Little Richard and Bill Doggett perform.
[Excerpt: Ron Holden, “Gee But I’m Lonesome”]
Ernestine Benson helped Hendrix acquire an electric guitar. His first song learned was “Tall Cool One” by The Fabulous Wailers.
[Excerpt: The Fabulous Wailers, “Tall Cool One”]
He admired Duane Eddy and learned his hits.
[Excerpt: Jimi Hendrix, “Peter Gunn/Catastrophe”]
Early bands included the Velvetones and the Rocking Kings. Facing legal trouble for stolen cars, he joined the Army. In the 101st Airborne Division, he met bassist Billy Cox, forming the Kasuals, playing for segregated audiences. He faked homosexuality to get discharged and pursue music full-time. The Kasuals expanded, and Hendrix began incorporating stage antics.
[Excerpt: Frank Howard and the Commanders, “I’m So Glad”]
He honed his skills in Nashville and Vancouver before returning to the King Kasuals, touring the chitlin circuit. He became a sideman for acts like Solomon Burke and Otis Redding, but his flamboyant style often led to conflicts and dismissals.
[Excerpt: Solomon Burke, “Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms)”]
He played with the Marvelettes and Curtis Mayfield, but was fired after damaging Mayfield’s amp. He joined the Isley Brothers and played on “Testify.”
[Excerpt: The Isley Brothers, “Testify”]
He also moonlighted on Don Covay’s “Mercy, Mercy.”
[Excerpt: Don Covay and the Goodtimers, “Mercy Mercy”]
He joined Little Richard’s band, but his showmanship clashed with Richard’s.
[Excerpt: Little Richard, “I Don’t Know What You’ve Got, But It’s Got Me”]
He met Rosa Lee Brooks and played on her single “My Diary.”
[Excerpt: Rosa Lee Brooks, “My Diary”]
[Excerpt: Rose Brooks, “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Ha”]
In New York, Hendrix’s career reached a low point, playing with Curtis Knight and the Squires, a band of questionable quality.
[Excerpt: Curtis Knight, “How Would You Feel?”]
[Excerpt; Jayne Mansfield, “As the Clouds Drift By”]
He played on numerous exploitative recordings with producer Ed Chalpin. He briefly joined Joey Dee and the Starliters and King Curtis.
[Excerpt: King Curtis, “Instant Groove”]
Returning to Curtis Knight, he met Linda Keith, Keith Richards’ girlfriend, who recognized his extraordinary talent and became determined to make him a star. Keith introduced Hendrix to acid and Bob Dylan’s “Blonde on Blonde,” which profoundly impacted him.
[Excerpt: Bob Dylan, “Just Like a Woman”]
He connected with Richie Havens, who further introduced him to the Greenwich Village folk scene and Tim Rose’s version of hey joe song.
[Excerpt: Richie Havens, “Just Like a Woman”]
Hendrix formed Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, playing in Greenwich Village clubs like Cafe Wha?. His electrifying performances stunned audiences, who were unfamiliar with the level of showmanship and musicianship honed on the chitlin circuit.
[Excerpt: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Hey Joe”]
Mike Bloomfield, a renowned guitarist, was awestruck by Hendrix’s playing. Linda Keith tried to garner industry interest, but Keith Richards’ jealousy hindered initial efforts. However, she connected with Chas Chandler, who was seeking a song to produce after The Animals’ breakup – Tim Rose’s “Hey Joe.” Seeing Jimmy James and the Blue Flames perform hey joe song, Chandler was convinced Hendrix was the artist to make it a hit.
Chandler persuaded Hendrix to move to London. With forty dollars and a guitar, Hendrix arrived in the UK and became an overnight sensation. His impromptu performance with Cream, then featuring guitar hero Eric Clapton, cemented his arrival.
[Excerpt: Cream, “I Feel Free”]
“Clapton is God” graffiti was commonplace in London, but Hendrix’s arrival shifted the guitar hero landscape. He formed The Jimi Hendrix Experience with Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums.
Hendrix’s early days in London were marked by rapid success. Ringo Starr provided them with a flat. They supported Johnny Hallyday in France, and their performances were electrifying.
[Excerpt: Johnny Hallyday, “Je veux te graver dans ma vie”]
[Excerpt: Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, “See Saw”]
[Excerpt: Bottoms Up]
[Excerpt: Johnny Hallyday, “Hey Joe”]
Within a month of arriving in the UK, The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded their debut single. “Stone Free” was written as a B-side, while “Hey Joe,” using Hendrix’s bluesy guitar, Echols’ lyrics, and inspired by Tim Rose’s tempo, became the A-side. Chandler brought in The Breakaways, top session singers, for backing vocals.
[Excerpt: The Vernons Girls, “You Know What I Mean”]
[Excerpt: The Breakaways, “That’s How it Goes”]
[Excerpt: Petula Clark, “Downtown”]
[Excerpt: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Hey Joe”]
Despite initial label rejections, the Jimi Hendrix Experience signed with Track Records, a label founded by The Who’s managers. A Ready Steady Go! TV appearance coincided with the single’s release, propelling it into the top ten. Jimi Hendrix, who began 1966 in poverty in New York, ended the year a star in London, revolutionizing the music scene and setting the stage for the transformative year of 1967. The hey joe song, in the hands of Hendrix, became an anthem, its long and winding folk journey culminating in a rock and roll explosion.
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