Jimi Hendrix - The Experienced

This vintage blacklight poster from 1969 of Jimi is aptly titled “The Experienced” and looks absolutely stunning. It was designed by Joe Roberts Jr and distributed by Cocorico Graphics in Los Angeles, California. The art is based on the famous photo of Jimi taken by Donald Silverstein, and is easily one of the most recognizable images of Hendrix. This headshop poster became so popular that it was later reprinted by ArtRock without permission from the artist. 

It is important to understand the context of the changing rock universe when Jimi Hendrix ascended - and how this affected his place in the psychedelic rock poster world. The Beatles had left the stage - their last concert was August 29, 1966, as they concentrated on recorded music. The Rolling Stones finished their last tour of America in July 1966, not returning until November 1969 while busying themselves with drug busts, recording, and living in exile from tax authorities in France. And Bob Dylan’s motorcycle accident in July 1966 ended his live performances until the early 1970s.

So, during the crucial time period from late 1966 through 1969 when rock and roll exploded from a cottage industry into Big Business, the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan were completely missing from the concert ballrooms and stages.

It was from this void, that innovative, dynamic stars like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison emerged and dominated live performances and festivals as well as the psychedelic artwork advertising those concerts in the late 1960s.