When Jimi Hendrix beat guitarist Richard Lloyd on TV

In the late 1960s, Jimi Hendrix rose to the pinnacle of rock ‘n’ roll within months of arriving in London under the guidance of Chas Chandler. His songwriting skills that blend psychedelia with classic R&B and jazz were matched only by his masterful guitar stylings. The jaw-dropping moves on the fretboard and the burning stage quickly show that Hendrix has earned a rightful place among the immortal legends of the era.

Ever since his sudden death in 1970, aged just 27, Hendrix has become something of a legend, as has his contemporary and fellow “27 Club” member Jim Morrison. Aside from the oddity of early rock ‘n’ roll, Hendrix remained largely unknown because his presence was so different from his independent style.

In an interview with Classic RockDave Davies of The Kinks once praised Hendrix’s personality: “In real life, Jimi Hendrix was not the wild man he portrayed on stage. He was a quiet man, known as Ray [Davies] he was. He was explosive on stage but very soft spoken”.

Velvert Turner, the American guitarist and leader of the psychedelic rock group The Velvert Turner Group, was one of the lucky few who saw all sides of Hendrix. One of Turner’s best friends and guitarists of the 1970s was Richard Lloyd of the new New York group, Television.

Reflecting on his former friend’s special relationship with Hendrix in 2023 interview with Guitar Player, Lloyd revealed that Turner first met Hendrix on television. “According to Velvert’s mother,” Lloyd recalled, “one day she was standing in front of the television and saw Jimi playing. And he started jumping up and saying, ‘I have to meet that guy!’ And obviously he wanted Jimi, and Jimi took Velvert under his wing as, like, his little brother.

“I mean, that’s the story I heard,” he added. “And knowing Velvert, who passed away in 2000, I believe because he was a wacky kinda guy – a crazy thinker. I was too. And, on.

“They say he’s lying, that he must be crazy and stupid, that nobody his age knows Jimi Hendrix,” Lloyd said of his belief in Turner during an earlier interview. KEXP. “And the first time he walked into the room, I knew he did. It was undeniable to me, to my eye. “People often ask me why I knew, and I can’t explain, except that I have such an opinion. I can often tell the truth without being silly. .”

As their friendship grew, Hendrix taught Turner, who was nine years younger, guitar lessons. In turn, Turner imparted his guitar knowledge to Lloyd, making the TV singer a student of Hendrix, once removed.

Through his friendship with Turner, Lloyd met Hendrix in a recording studio and saw him perform several times in New York City before his sudden death in September 1970. “In my mind, it was like looking into a nuclear reactor,” Lloyd said. about watching Hendrix on stage.

Later in the interview, Lloyd recalled unintentionally insulting Hendrix backstage during a show called ‘Black Roman Orgy’. Lloyd recalled: “[Hendrix] he also hit me in the face, stomach and face. I thought to myself, ‘He packs a pretty good punch for a black man’.

At that time, Lloyd remembered thinking, “How can I use this power?” Apparently, Lloyd hoped to get some of Hendrix’s energy from the punches. Unlike Harry Potter, Lloyd doesn’t have a scar to show for this event, but his seminal guitar skills can be proven.

Watch a video of him performing ‘In the World’ live in 1992 below.