Billy Roberts "Hey Joe"- first ever recording 1961/62

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  • Опубликовано: 22 авг 2019
  • This is the very first recording of the song "Hey Joe", ever made. Is is a home demo recording by the song's writer, Billy Roberts. The song has a long and complicated history regarding it's authorship, but this is the absolute first version ever recorded, in 1961/62, as a favor to Billy Roberts friend Barry Friedman. I received a CDR copy of this ree-to-reel tape in the early 2000's from Billy then lawyer/manager. I have edited together some historical footage of prisoners from the 30's and 40's to aid the song visually, as the images seem to fit the tone of the song very well.

Комментарии • 2,1 тыс.

  • @jeffstewart3342
    @jeffstewart3342 5 месяцев назад +268

    I never even knew this existed. Thank you for turning me on to this hidden gem .

    • @tonyr.3435
      @tonyr.3435 4 месяца назад +10

      I'm 62 and never knew this existed either, I figured Hendrix had penned it.
      This is really cool.
      Edit to add: this was uploaded 4 years ago!
      As much prog rock I listen to here on utube I'm surprised I hadn't seen this before

    • @xxxxxxxx3476
      @xxxxxxxx3476 3 месяца назад +5

      Absolutely agree with you .
      It certainly is a hidden gem .

    • @MrZombayu
      @MrZombayu 3 месяца назад

      And Santa?

    • @SatelliteSoundLab
      @SatelliteSoundLab 3 месяца назад

      same here.

    • @richarddennis4345
      @richarddennis4345 3 месяца назад +1

      @jeffstewart3342 bit of a longshot but were you partial to a becherovka 22 years ago?

  • @stephendoriankutos4429
    @stephendoriankutos4429  4 года назад +501

    I just wanted to thank everyone for watching and all the comments. People have been overwhelmingly positive and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

    • @jasonlynn1017
      @jasonlynn1017 4 года назад +9

      Thank you for clarifying history and bettering culture, and generously posting this version for free. Are there in concert versions? Did Roberts ever meet or communicate with Hendrix or Bonniwell?

    • @stephendoriankutos4429
      @stephendoriankutos4429  4 года назад +34

      @@jasonlynn1017 Thanks for the lovely comment. From what I understand, Billy Recorded a few versions of song through the years, including a disco version in the late 70's, never got to hear those. I don't think Billy ever got to meet or speak with Hendrix or Bonniewell. As I've been able to piece it together, Billy and Dino Valenti did know each other. Dino actually copyrighted the song trying to steal it from Billy., some say Billy assigned the rights to him for a time to help Dino when he got busted on drugs, but his manager said that wasn't true Dino just tried to steal it. So Dino Valenti knew him and learned the song. Dino then became friends with and lived with David Crosby. Dino is the one who actually inspired the name The Byrds. Crosby learned the song from Dino. Crosby loved the song and the Byrds performed it, but didn't record it for there first two albums. Meanwhile a roadie for The Byrds, Bryan Mclean joins/forms his own band Love. Bryan takes Hey Joe with him and Love start performing it. Now the song is getting exposure in LA. Members of The Leaves ask Johhny Ecchols of Love if they could get a copy of the lyrics, Johnny says sure, but make slight alterations as a prank. The Leaves become the first to record and release the song as a single and it's a minor national hit. Love is kinda mad that the didn't record it first, so they include it on their first album. Crosby is pissed that The Byrds didn't trust him that it was great, so they record it for the 5D album. Now the song is out there and sort of popular. Tim Rose hears the Leaves version (you can tell as up until this point the lyric has been "where you goin with that MONEY in your hand" but the Leaves version and most versions after it say "Gun in your hand", and does an arrangement where he slows it way down, adds a little riff at the beginning for his first album. Tim Rose is playing the Cafe' Wha, where Hendrix is also playing just before going to england, hears it, loves it, steals the arrangement and records his version and it becomes internationally recognized and copied, and that how the song is what it is today.

    • @Scratiznutz
      @Scratiznutz 4 года назад +5

      @@stephendoriankutos4429 What an insightful story.
      Thankyou for sharing this.

    • @JM-ms6uo
      @JM-ms6uo 4 года назад

      @@stephendoriankutos4429 Hendrix never credited Billy Roberts on his recording he credited Dino Valenti, makes one wonder as Roberts has been contested as being the original writer of this song. Very interesting stuff, check out the original Reprise records credits on Hendrix. ruclips.net/video/Tq8J_WEqaWE/видео.html

    • @stephendoriankutos4429
      @stephendoriankutos4429  4 года назад +12

      @@JM-ms6uo So, the story is that Dino knew Billy and learned the song from him. When Dino went out to the west coast he published it under his name. When Billy went to publish the song a little later, he found out what Dino had done. Billy's lawyers basically straightened it out, they got Dino to admit he stole it. Billy got the copyright back, but he did have to give a percentage to the company Dino published it with to make the deal go smoothly. By that time Dino had taught it to David Crosby, and it became an L.A. standard in the coming years.

  • @neilhenson3540
    @neilhenson3540 2 года назад +315

    I played with the actual Billy Roberts back in 1976 on a cruse liner from New Zealand to Italy. We did two gigs on that ship Billy played Acustic guitar and vocals, A French guy did bass guitar and I was on drums. Neat guy, he was kind and had a special charisma about him.RIP Bill.

    • @MrSomethingElse
      @MrSomethingElse 2 года назад +11

      Hey so you can authenticate this is him? very cool.

    • @neilhenson3540
      @neilhenson3540 2 года назад +31

      @@MrSomethingElse I have a picture of Bill taken at Messina italy when he left our boat, I do not have a recording of his voice to compare the video that is here but highly highly likely that the audio recording in this clip is from Bill. I can confirm I did play in on a couple of impromptu performances with bill Roberts on that ocean liner "SS Galileo Galilei" in 1976 .. Thank you for taking the interest Mr Tupuhi

    • @MrSomethingElse
      @MrSomethingElse 2 года назад +12

      @@neilhenson3540 Thanks man. A real treat as I've never heard this version. I love the lyrics, it makes it more of a cohesive linear story where Dylans version is a bit more disjointed. It will definitely be in my playlist from now on.

    • @willisgemutlich2608
      @willisgemutlich2608 2 года назад +12

      what the??? I've been arguing with people I meet that roy buchanan coined it for 20 years and not jimi, and now THIS? YES please let the record industry get honest. I've been ranting for longer than that about the record having the artist's name on it, but "they didn't have space on the cassettes" then it continues with cds and now the only way to learn is if you hear about lawsuits... i miss buying a record with a foldout with the lyrics and art, man, and I'm only 41. They're stealing our culture and it's almost gone. If your link doesn't work I'll get back at you, I GOTTA know more about this.

    • @willisgemutlich2608
      @willisgemutlich2608 2 года назад +1

      yeah, link didn't work.

  • @martyacosta2335
    @martyacosta2335 2 года назад +373

    I played this song in our garage band back in 1965. I was 10 years old. We played it at the battle of the bands on Cermak Ave in Chicago. I couldn't get the bass lick right so I improvised. I played the first notes right and then I'd run my fingers all over. After we played two older guys approached me praising me on how I played it. I thought they were making fun of me so I went home and learned how to play it correctly. This was imperative since we got offered to play at Lincoln Park Zoo a few weeks later.
    I never heard the Jimi version until 1969. We played it like Billy but faster. We played The Leaves version. But we were just a garage band. My brother Joe was on lead guitar and he was 13. I don't think any of us was older than 13. I never heard this version until today. Had you asked me before who made this song I probably would have guessed, The Shadows of Knight. If you listen to the Leaves version it has a great bass line.

    • @singersongster
      @singersongster Год назад +11

      Great stuff. How did you hear Billy Roberts Hey Joe? Hendrix had the cover but he was Pop Rock. Who was playing this? It's not Top 40. College radio? NPR National Public Radio?

    • @martyacosta2335
      @martyacosta2335 Год назад +11

      @@singersongster I did a search looking for the version we played. We played the Leaves version. I never heard the Leaves version except by other Chi-Town bands. I was still in grade school (7th grade).

    • @largelester
      @largelester Год назад +8

      @@singersongster Leaves version sounds more like a faster version of this than the slower covers done by Jimi Hendrix, Tim Rose or Otis Taylor

    • @Ds74-pmrq
      @Ds74-pmrq 5 месяцев назад +5

      "This song" doesn't have a bass line

    • @user-ft4jp1yq5f
      @user-ft4jp1yq5f 5 месяцев назад +20

      Garage band you say... just a Garage Band..
      Garage Bands are as important as Ice in Whiskey...
      No just about it...
      Be proud ... We are all Garage Band... High 5 brutha

  • @stephendoriankutos4429
    @stephendoriankutos4429  4 года назад +799

    If you guys are interested, I could post the other songs Billy performs on the tape. The others are covers and traditional folk songs. He does "Sinner Man", "Bo Weevil", "Stag- o - Lee aka Stagger Lee" and one or two others. No real revelations like "Hey Joe" but if you like folk music, Billy's authentic, and a good performer, and his intros for songs are quite funny. Let me know.

    • @stephendoriankutos4429
      @stephendoriankutos4429  4 года назад +41

      I'm in the process of getting a new editing computer, so I will upload those songs very soon. Billy also does rousing version of "Kilgary Mountain" aka "Whiskey In The Jar".

    • @BretLevickMusic
      @BretLevickMusic 4 года назад +65

      Hi Stephen, I met Billy in San Francisco when I was 11 years old (friend of my parents). He had a country band called Grits. We took a liking to each other and he was my first musical “mentor”. Gave me my first electric guitar (an old Airline) and recorded with me in his studio on Fillmore that was funded by Hey Joe royalties. He showed up at a gig of mine in the 80s, gave me a cassette of solo tunes maybe the same one this comes from, and then I lost track of him. Thanks for posting this!

    • @stephendoriankutos4429
      @stephendoriankutos4429  4 года назад +13

      @@BretLevickMusic Such a cool story!

    • @kimmicampbell708
      @kimmicampbell708 4 года назад +13

      Yes please

    • @julieparrish1364
      @julieparrish1364 3 года назад +9

      Stephen Dorian Kutos keep em comin big guy,peace.

  • @billyrubin3108
    @billyrubin3108 5 месяцев назад +72

    I love the acoustic guitar playing and the singing’s great as well. 👍

    • @PeterSavad
      @PeterSavad 2 месяца назад

      It's a fake.

    • @1blastman
      @1blastman Месяц назад

      @@PeterSavad prove it.

  • @kengilbert2620
    @kengilbert2620 5 месяцев назад +70

    I'm late to the party but so glad this popped up in my YT feed. Nice job and thanks!

  • @garyflannery2710
    @garyflannery2710 Месяц назад +8

    Considering I was born in 1965 too young to be a hippie. The only recording I've ever heard was from Jimi Hendrix. And I've always loved it. Hearing this for the first time ever at the age of 58. I can say I like this original recording just as well. Thank you for posting this on RUclips.

    • @Travasaurus
      @Travasaurus Месяц назад +1

      You need to listen to "The Leaves" 'original' version, a big hit very shortly after this one...
      ruclips.net/video/PCZNFPaz1iw/видео.htmlsi=l1HtZvaiQj4-mBQG

  • @MC828Alex
    @MC828Alex 2 года назад +32

    Great version this. I was 12 when I first heard "Hey Joe" by the The Leaves. It opened the door from kid-world to real life.

  • @castelodeossos3947
    @castelodeossos3947 5 месяцев назад +45

    Used the Hendrix version teaching English to Italian teenagers. Knew it had been a success when, after the lesson, they asked who that was 'cause they wanted to get it for themselves. They'd never heard of Jimi Hendrix.

    •  3 месяца назад +5

      Cool story. I saw the movie a few years ago. They had it on lifetime. Sidney played you.

    • @malcolmdouglasjr2178
      @malcolmdouglasjr2178 3 месяца назад +2

      Cool story. Love Jimi RIP!

    • @XX-qi5eu
      @XX-qi5eu Месяц назад

      Next class, try using the song, Da doo ron ron.

  • @PavlovsDawgakaMindContro-cp2gw
    @PavlovsDawgakaMindContro-cp2gw Год назад +12

    I'm really impressed with the original song. It took a while to hear Billy Robert's song, I'm grateful to hear it. 🎸

  • @colerainfan1143
    @colerainfan1143 5 месяцев назад +14

    One of my all time favorite songs. Thanks, Bill.

  • @robsummers8344
    @robsummers8344 4 года назад +101

    The mark of Jimi’s genius was to take this good song and elevate it to the stratosphere ✌🏻🎸
    Each verse he varies the chords with inversions, and then blasts out a solo which has so much emotion and release in it, never ceases to amaze me. My opinion - Peace 🙏🏻

    • @stephendoriankutos4429
      @stephendoriankutos4429  4 года назад +10

      except that all the changes from this songs folk beginnings, to the blue influenced rock monster hit it's known as today, pretty much all came from Tim Rose. Check out his version, even the drums and bass were closely followed by the Experience. Jimi of course took it to the stratosphere with his guitar playing, but Rose should have been given an arrangement credit. Check out his version
      ruclips.net/video/_usk5qNUVgU/видео.html

    • @robsummers8344
      @robsummers8344 4 года назад +3

      Stephen Dorian Kutos I hear what you mean - including the backing vocals and the drum rhythm 🥁
      Jimi’s solo is perfection - especially at Monterey 🎸

    • @neilstegall2090
      @neilstegall2090 Год назад +3

      The Hendrix version is based directly on the Tim Rose version, not this.

    • @davidm9618
      @davidm9618 5 месяцев назад +3

      Jimi is overrated.

    • @williamcavanagh8982
      @williamcavanagh8982 4 месяца назад +2

      It's called stealing...hardly genius.

  • @chuckwagon5518
    @chuckwagon5518 4 года назад +709

    I'm in my 60's and this is the first time I have ever understood all of the words to this song!

    • @pcollenyt3683
      @pcollenyt3683 4 года назад +49

      These are not the words of the more "modern" versions.

    • @erepsekahs
      @erepsekahs 4 года назад +32

      Then you should have listened closer, and also realized that they are both NOT the same.

    • @philgeorge667
      @philgeorge667 4 года назад +21

      I'm 68 same this way......

    • @johnstrand2247
      @johnstrand2247 3 года назад +12

      Same thing I was thinking.

    • @rockersmood1609
      @rockersmood1609 3 года назад +25

      Not the same words from “are you experienced “!!!!

  • @michaelshaw972
    @michaelshaw972 3 года назад +143

    This is superb, and the song became legendary. I saw Hendrix perform it but the original is brilliant.

  • @5micky2
    @5micky2 3 месяца назад +5

    Love this performance, it's loaded with defiance, desperation, vain hope, tragedy, as befits the story. The footage of the prisoners is a kind of hint that he didn't escape the hangman.

  • @RusticRockMusic
    @RusticRockMusic 2 года назад +94

    That is a gem of a song, an old sizzling piece of Americana.

    • @alanthesheep6428
      @alanthesheep6428 Год назад +7

      Yeh - a song about buying a gun to kill someone. Pure Americana indeed

    • @RusticRockMusic
      @RusticRockMusic Год назад

      @@alanthesheep6428 The back story is that people have been buying implements to kill each other for many thousands of years before the idea of liberty and America.

    • @Iambigdaa
      @Iambigdaa 10 месяцев назад +7

      Like it or not, punishing a cheating, unfaithful spouse/mate is as old as time itself.

    • @RusticRockMusic
      @RusticRockMusic 10 месяцев назад +6

      It's a song, it's story telling. Joe is going off the deep end, and Jimi is concerned, asking about his plans. Joe is quite forthcoming, and the song doesn't cheer murder, but it is graphic; I Shot Her!!
      I called it Americana bc of its history as a rock standard, loved, played and performed here in America where it was created.

    • @ralph0149
      @ralph0149 3 месяца назад

      ​​@@alanthesheep6428 Until recently killing your wife like that was legal in Brazil. Lots of other places too. That was never true here. Shove your America-bashing.

  • @davidsummerville351
    @davidsummerville351 5 месяцев назад +47

    Very unique guitar accompaniment. Good guitarist, well played. This is a piece of history.

  • @sixslinger9951
    @sixslinger9951 2 года назад +213

    This is the coolest thing ever. To actually hear the very first demo from the songwriter. thanks for posting

    • @michaelpetrose9272
      @michaelpetrose9272 Год назад +9

      If you believe all the info on RUclips, he actually stole this song from his girlfriend Niela Miller, who was that writer. You can find her version (quite good btw) at: ruclips.net/video/BEK2EDqxpcY/видео.html&ab_channel=DaveWood

    • @anderssigfeldt335
      @anderssigfeldt335 Год назад +1

      The ildest is about 100 yaers old
      Anders sweden Göteborg

    • @joshuayettou9032
      @joshuayettou9032 Год назад +2

      Very cool indeed!

    • @will2741
      @will2741 Год назад +3

      its nonsense, he stole it from Niela Miller and his voice on this tape is a much older man

  • @jegarajramoo3873
    @jegarajramoo3873 2 года назад +56

    Simply brilliant. It captures raw emotions and anxiety in such breathtaking lyrics played on an acoustic guitar. It captures the folk music spirit of the early 1960s at it's very best.

    • @KaiserBlade
      @KaiserBlade 5 месяцев назад

      The breathtaking lyrics?

    • @PeterSavad
      @PeterSavad 2 месяца назад

      It's fake dude.

  • @luiscorro1924
    @luiscorro1924 3 года назад +22

    Fabulous finding, its history and the sound is cristal clear...so many great musicians and bands (Jimmy Hendrix, The Who and others), have played this one.

  • @stephenandrews8419
    @stephenandrews8419 4 месяца назад +60

    Just occassionaly youtube sends something great my way. I love finding new discoveries and new singers or versions of songs that i have never heard of. You have done just that here, i had no idea there was such a back story to this song. You truly have done a great service to everybody by uploading this here & i want to thank you so much for that. So Thank You 👍

    •  3 месяца назад

      To see the actual recording?

    • @FuzzyDancingBear
      @FuzzyDancingBear 3 месяца назад

      You've got to be kidding me. Do you listen to music?

  • @jaimesanverg69
    @jaimesanverg69 2 года назад +38

    Thanks Stephen for uploading and placing the song"s writer in the land of dignity he deserves. Big hug , from Santiago, Chile.

  • @daindm
    @daindm 4 месяца назад +4

    Thanks so much for this gift. I'm a 65yr old Aussie muso living in Sri Lanka - I have enjoyed this song in many forms and mutations since the 60's - The Golden Cups from Japan '66 do a fast very ahead of it's time version with amazing bass with an oriental sounding riff and an a psychedelic solo that's sounds like something off Electric Ladyland, and that's just one of the countless versions I've heard and played myself in so many bands. I've haven't done a deep dive into it - but I always understood that it was usually listed as Traditional on the 60's garage, punk and psychedelic bands, until Jimi did his funky, bluesly version and his manager Chas Chandler copy righted it as - words and music by Jimi Hendrix. Chas learnt this old trick from when he played bass in The Animals and they covered House of the Rising Sun, which Dylan had previously covered on his first album in 1962 and tagged it as Traditional (his lyrics followed the original's which was from the woman's point of view - and it was in 3/4 just by the by) - when they recorded it, it became by The Animals. Keep on grooving!

  • @reason5591
    @reason5591 4 года назад +261

    Wow at 60 yrs old, Im still discovering new things on the daily.
    Im a long time Hendrix fan yet never knew of this

    • @colincampbell4261
      @colincampbell4261 4 года назад +10

      Same here, I'm 61.

    • @MrHammerman97
      @MrHammerman97 4 года назад +17

      @@colincampbell4261 Im 23, was brought up on Jimi, now i dig deeper and its Billy. Always some beauty in finding originals. Much like Led Zepplins "When the levee breaks"

    • @davehagi9883
      @davehagi9883 3 года назад +8

      @@colincampbell4261 74, I knew it existed, but never heard it before now.

    • @guitarocd9984
      @guitarocd9984 3 года назад +7

      The leaves did it just before Hendrix. That's the one I remember.

    • @debpettinato5975
      @debpettinato5975 3 года назад +1

      Everyday everyday

  • @norbertvanettinger8791
    @norbertvanettinger8791 3 года назад +109

    This is realy the root thing of 'Hey Joe'... and a beautiful performance... Thank you for posting it.

    • @sandrakemkers3158
      @sandrakemkers3158 3 года назад +3

      no, it isn't. Check Niela Miller.

    • @riffraffactual
      @riffraffactual 2 года назад +2

      @@sandrakemkers3158 nope… it’s different enough to belong to Billy… That’s why he gets the credit.

    • @v-town1980
      @v-town1980 5 месяцев назад +1

      ​@@sandrakemkers3158look who never gets most crediting for writing Motown hits.😊

  • @mattelder4204
    @mattelder4204 3 года назад +10

    By the end of the song the guitar rhythm is almost hypnotic and relaxing. Thanks for sharing. Very cool. 👍

  • @rridderbusch518
    @rridderbusch518 3 года назад +26

    R.I.P. Billy Roberts 1936-2017

  • @mickthemerciless9694
    @mickthemerciless9694 5 месяцев назад +33

    Very interesting to hear original demos.

  • @Michi181079
    @Michi181079 4 года назад +44

    I love this Version! Great tune.

  • @duvalito6021
    @duvalito6021 3 года назад +53

    This song has such an intriguing and ominous sound, it hits the soul 🔥

    • @klowen7778
      @klowen7778 3 месяца назад +1

      Aka, _"What we have here is a failure to communicate."_

    • @michaelherndon9573
      @michaelherndon9573 3 месяца назад

      Lmao​@@klowen7778

  • @kendokunti
    @kendokunti 3 года назад +5

    Best version of Hey Joe I have heard so far and I've heard a few !

  • @roguesgallery4228
    @roguesgallery4228 5 месяцев назад +28

    Hey Joe was always my favourite Hendrix track, I had an old bootleg from one of his many Germany performances, the version of Hey Joe he played was the most perfect rendition I ever heard,every note drenched in perfection. I just fell in love with the song all over again.

    • @kooale
      @kooale 5 месяцев назад

      Yup

    • @PrivateSi
      @PrivateSi 4 месяца назад +2

      Hendrix's Hey Joe is a grungier, grittier, rawer, angrier version that suits the lyrics really well. I knew this Billy Roberts version existed as the original but never checked it out until now and like how it's more of a contrasts between the uplifting, happy sounding music with the dark lyrics. Both work great.

    • @jojogun1957
      @jojogun1957 4 месяца назад +1

      Those back up vocals jump out at me once and awhile,(maybe when I'am in a distant and reflective mood)and really take it a darker place. @@PrivateSi

    • @randyelliott9152
      @randyelliott9152 4 месяца назад +1

      @@PrivateSi There is also a more up-tempo version by the Los Angeles based (mid 60's) band Love.

    • @PrivateSi
      @PrivateSi 4 месяца назад

      @@randyelliott9152 .. Considering it's an anti-love song that's pretty funny..... Ahh, jangly-tastic, funky bass and rockin'.. Jilted Love would be more accurate!

  • @cautionTosser
    @cautionTosser 5 месяцев назад +14

    I always knew this was a cover by Jimi (one of my favs of his), but I never heard the original until now. Fantastic!
    And reading your description brought back found memories of my dad's reel to reel. He had so many unique recordings on it including myself as a child telling stories, my mother and her sisters singing, and Hutterites performing songs. Yes. That's right. They weren't allowed contemporary music, but some of the youngsters hid instruments in the barn and my dad came and recorded them.

  • @vanodyssey1659
    @vanodyssey1659 Год назад +14

    The song is sending chills down my spine... What's more is the video footage, equally as chilling. I want to know the stories of these men.

  • @stefanfeigl3847
    @stefanfeigl3847 3 месяца назад +4

    unbelievable ... sound and footage ! thank you very much ! ( from munich, bavaria )

  • @anilchitnis3637
    @anilchitnis3637 5 месяцев назад +15

    Amazing first recording of “Hey Joe” which deserves more credit for its simplicity and raw acoustic beauty. All my respect to Billy Roberts and whoever wrote the original “ He Joe”. I am in the midst of recording my version of this timeless classic. 🙏

    • @pestell02
      @pestell02 5 месяцев назад

      I think the original was written by Joe South

    • @johnbauman4005
      @johnbauman4005 5 месяцев назад

      ​@@pestell02No.

    • @Oldcrow77
      @Oldcrow77 5 месяцев назад +7

      The original is by Neila Miller. You can find here on YT. Billy Robert’s lived with Neila and basically stole the song from her.

    • @virginiatate5955
      @virginiatate5955 5 месяцев назад

      ruclips.net/video/AWeSwV9-kA8/видео.htmlsi=biDYm4mA0ra91x8N

  • @Terribleathletes
    @Terribleathletes 3 года назад +14

    The chord progression is so hauntingly beautiful. Man I wish this would've been pressed on to a 7 inch 45. Would love to own this.

  • @petermccarthy8263
    @petermccarthy8263 Год назад +11

    thanks for sharing that indelibly stark narrative song !
    ..once, back around '72 (?), I stopped by my friend Don's small seattle music store and, his friend, Billy Roberts, was visiting him so, we caught a buzz and he indulged me in doing this song (w/me on 2nd guitar) and it was such an unexpected afternoon (thru the doorway) experience, blown away. after I left, I was walking along on a bright perfect day thinking...did that really just happen ?

  • @tashijoe21
    @tashijoe21 3 года назад +11

    So good to hear this powerful song in its original. The video is just as powerful too. Thanks for putting this out theret

  • @G3Ld0fCapdutronc
    @G3Ld0fCapdutronc 4 года назад +8

    iNCROYABLE CE DOCUMENT !!!!!
    Merci !

  • @kingcormack8004
    @kingcormack8004 3 года назад +12

    Like most Americans my age, we heard "Hey Joe" in the hit version by The Leaves before the Hendrix take, their arrangement was a garage rock staple. I really like learning the back stories and learning of this original is a treat. It might be interesting to trace the song's journey from Billy's authorship to how it reached the airwaves via the Leaves, then Hendrix. Song-plugging is an arcane skill.

    • @doctorinsomnia5410
      @doctorinsomnia5410 3 года назад +1

      Thank you for giving credit to the Leaves... great as Hendrix's cover is, I prefer the faster more rockin' version by the Leaves which ( like most people my age) I discovered on the Nuggets compilation...and don't forget the best parody of Hey Joe, Flower Punk by Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention on their 3rd album " we're only in it for the money" or "phaze 1 of lumpy gravy"....

  • @jujumulligan43
    @jujumulligan43 5 месяцев назад +28

    This is fantastic. I'm so damn glad I stumbled on this today. I absolutely love the trimmed down and basic feel of this song being done the way it was meant to sound. I'm grateful for you for sharing this. Keep um coming!😊

  • @eriksudberg
    @eriksudberg 4 месяца назад +3

    Wow. Absolutely incredible. Thank you for posting and please post more Billy Roberts songs!

  • @phillipparfitt3973
    @phillipparfitt3973 3 года назад +3

    I only knew the Jimi Hendrix version until a few weeks ago when I heard the Leaves, now I hear the original, its great! I am 67 now and never knew any other recording of Hey Joe! Thanks for posting this, I love it!!

  • @barrygrant2907
    @barrygrant2907 2 года назад +6

    A great song that is genius in its simplicity. I remember seeing chain gangs working on the roadsides as a kid. My mom always warned me that If I didn't behave I'd be working alongside of them.

  • @turboschicht
    @turboschicht Месяц назад +1

    I've never heard before. It's great, thanks for sharing! Greetings from the Netherlands

  • @kayvancooten4657
    @kayvancooten4657 Год назад +69

    Being familiar with Hendrix's version made me curious as to who wrote it. I'm so glad it brought me here, as this folk version most definately has a unique character, just as Jimi's version. Thanks for this post. ❤🎶

    • @garthsnidpick4151
      @garthsnidpick4151 7 месяцев назад +7

      try deep purple's version

    • @billking8843
      @billking8843 5 месяцев назад +3

      He nicked the music and some of the lyrics from his girlfriend. She is still around and I think is doing Christian music and has long since let go of it.

    • @Henry_Martin_Taylor
      @Henry_Martin_Taylor 5 месяцев назад +1

      ​@@garthsnidpick4151Much more closer to the meaning of the lyrics then Hendrix

    • @jazzandbluesculturalherita2547
      @jazzandbluesculturalherita2547 5 месяцев назад +2

      Billy stole the song from Neila Miller whom he was dating. See her site here on YT. SHE wrote it.

    • @billking8843
      @billking8843 5 месяцев назад

      @@jazzandbluesculturalherita2547 amazing how women's creative achievements get erased from music history. And black people's creativity too. Led Zep and Canned Heat Ima looking at you guys in particular.

  • @blix4199
    @blix4199 3 года назад +17

    Superb! Thank you so much for posting. Of course I love Jimi’s masterful version, and everything else he did, but the Billy Roberts original tells the tale in a much more complete way

  • @JKlasen
    @JKlasen 5 месяцев назад +23

    Incredible! This is what makes YT a great resource.

  • @suzyquatro6470
    @suzyquatro6470 3 месяца назад +2

    This is the first time that I've ever heard about this !! I thought Jimi Hendrix is the first singer who brought "Hey Joe" the only version 😮😮
    I used to hear Jimi Hendrix version when I was in my junior high ... Now I'm going 70 yrs next December and I still enjoy the song, Jimi's version 😁😁

    • @rashard4
      @rashard4 3 месяца назад

      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey_Joe

  • @ansellovestogroworganicall2180
    @ansellovestogroworganicall2180 3 года назад +27

    Memories .... Nice to know the roots for this song.

  • @pj7555
    @pj7555 4 года назад +16

    This is so golden ... I have spent half an afternoon following this song around youtube. Thanks Niela and Bill.

    • @patrickshore5859
      @patrickshore5859 2 года назад

      should listen to Tim Rose version copied by Hendrix both released same year. Tims first of course I would guess

  • @stephenp.farrelly2296
    @stephenp.farrelly2296 3 года назад +8

    This is the first time I have heard this original recording of Hey Joe. Hendrix version was tops THIS was a RARE, GREAT, ORIGINAL

  • @SimonWH1
    @SimonWH1 3 года назад +2

    An astounding video and great to feel the sadness and tension about his life ahead from the rhythm of the song.

  • @MacPakinga-gl8bu
    @MacPakinga-gl8bu 4 месяца назад +4

    A first for me hearing this. Started jamming hay joe first time i heard jimmy Hendrix at 8 years old. Now 64 still have it . Yes sirery started picking it at first then the bass line next the drums. 🎸🥁🎸🎤 . Thankyou for sharing ❤

  • @bored1ca
    @bored1ca 3 года назад +7

    Wow - I can sense the misery in the lyrics but the story it tells is so compelling....

  • @markmiller4884
    @markmiller4884 3 года назад +6

    So glad I found this nugget. Thanks for posting.

  • @robertlisternicholls
    @robertlisternicholls 3 года назад +1

    Wonderful and very moving images. Thank you for posting.

  • @gaddyify
    @gaddyify 3 года назад +60

    Hendrixs took this song and lyrics to another level.

    • @johnsaxon7940
      @johnsaxon7940 3 года назад +13

      Did so with All Along the Watchtower too

    • @maryeavenson2873
      @maryeavenson2873 3 года назад

      yes he did it's a marriage of folk and blues and rock...but I guess soon to be dismissed by the NWO..

    • @michaelstevenson470
      @michaelstevenson470 3 года назад +5

      @@maryeavenson2873 Incorrect; Nudist Waterskiers of Oregon have no issues with this song

    • @maryeavenson2873
      @maryeavenson2873 3 года назад

      @@michaelstevenson470 I guess not

    • @karenredd7365
      @karenredd7365 3 года назад +1

      Most definitely tho I am very impressed with this!!!

  • @scottkremer8660
    @scottkremer8660 4 года назад +113

    I met Billy Roberts by accident in 1986 when he drove by a rural property I owned north of San Francisco. He stopped on the road when he saw me. I believe he was giving his sister a tour of the area. He said he'd lived in my house as a rental sometime much earlier, and told me that he'd written "Hey Joe." I wish I'd invited him in.

    • @heaven7360
      @heaven7360 3 года назад +9

      that is a trippy story. Cool how life is isn't it? It's kind of hard to get those kind of experiences these days of covid. Damn I'll be glad to have this over with!!!!!

    • @Savadorason1
      @Savadorason1 3 года назад +2

      -Who knew?

    • @hopfrogg9599
      @hopfrogg9599 3 года назад +3

      Checks out. In the early 90s he was in a car accident in Sonoma County.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Roberts

    • @tvcentraal
      @tvcentraal 3 года назад +3

      @today is not yesterday Wait until you catch it... I can tell you, it's no scam. I wish it was a scam...

    • @englishwithclint8415
      @englishwithclint8415 3 года назад +1

      @today is not yesterday and 1917 !!!

  • @mr.bonesbbq3288
    @mr.bonesbbq3288 4 года назад +10

    So refreshin to hear this again, thanks, amigo! Lifelong Hendrix fan, which is how I found my way to Billy...;-)

  • @eg8419
    @eg8419 5 месяцев назад +7

    thank you for this astounding video.

  • @joypcs_official
    @joypcs_official 2 года назад +14

    I NEVER cease to be utterly amazed finding some of the jewels that we just happen to come across casually looking for something else. Thank you Stephen!

    • @katsmith4268
      @katsmith4268 2 года назад +1

      I know what you mean 😊

    • @randallkomisarek2875
      @randallkomisarek2875 3 месяца назад

      Thank goodness for the dedicated archivists who sought out the folk, bluegrass and blues players before they passed. This country has such a rich and varied musical heritage that tell so much about what the country is all about for better or worse.

  • @markir1947
    @markir1947 3 года назад +23

    Throughout the years I have heard every version of Hey Joe I could find. I love this song and became rather obsessed with it . I hoped to find out even more about the musical history behind it. Now I hear the original and all I can say is , wow. Thanks for posting.

    • @michaelcelani8325
      @michaelcelani8325 3 года назад +3

      mark...It really is Beautiful !* or more than beautiful..

    • @davegmalherbe
      @davegmalherbe 3 года назад +2

      Have you heard the ORIGINAL song by his then girlfriend from whom he STOLE the music ?? !!!

    • @butterflymoon6368
      @butterflymoon6368 2 года назад

      This isn't the original. Billy stole the song from his girlfriend.

  • @SonicSurf3r
    @SonicSurf3r 4 года назад +4

    Fascinating. Thank you for sourcing & posting

  • @sugarfix
    @sugarfix 13 дней назад +1

    The crude backing vocal at 3:15 sounds like a freaking ghost! Brilliant!

  • @caroltaylor7894
    @caroltaylor7894 3 года назад +2

    I love this! First time to hear it. Thank you.

  • @TheOwlGuy777
    @TheOwlGuy777 4 года назад +8

    From here I just discovered Niela Miller.
    HOLY COW what talent! AMAZING!
    Victoria Williams 25 years before Victoria Williams!

  • @janepowers6711
    @janepowers6711 3 года назад +10

    I remember this song recorded by the group “Love, with Arthur Lee” - this is a wonderful, pure version of the song.
    Love’s album Forever Changes is still one of my favorites.

  • @peadarmacconnmhaigh4337
    @peadarmacconnmhaigh4337 4 месяца назад

    Never heard this before. It is fantastic! Best version of this song. Thank you for posting the video.

  • @ianstobie
    @ianstobie 3 года назад +2

    Great find. Thanks for putting it up.

  • @greendemon70
    @greendemon70 5 месяцев назад +9

    Just listened for the first time. No words...

  • @mt.rushmore7916
    @mt.rushmore7916 3 года назад +25

    This is outstanding. Beautiful. Thank you for posting. So damned pure!

  • @ronedwards9133
    @ronedwards9133 2 года назад +5

    Frist time hearing this original, love the. simplicity of it, yet it’s so solid! Dig it

  • @cabngirl
    @cabngirl 3 года назад +19

    This is wonderful. I loved seeing him perform this with the SF All Stars down by the waterfront in the 80s.

  • @matthewmccalvin2062
    @matthewmccalvin2062 3 года назад +9

    Hearing this for the first time.. didnt realize the complicated history of it.. weirdly enough
    one of the first things that hit me was... "This sounds like DEVO!" his voice reminds me of Mark
    Mothersbaugh, of course i've heard the Hendrix version but this is next level hearing it simplified.

  • @joeld_i4052
    @joeld_i4052 3 года назад +19

    Aweome, thanks for sharing! I've been working backwords on this song, first hearing Hendrix's version, then the Byrds' version now the song makes even more sense. Such a mesmorizing guitar!

    • @Guitarcope
      @Guitarcope 3 года назад +1

      It sounds like a 12 string.

    • @Not_what_it_used_to_be
      @Not_what_it_used_to_be 2 года назад +1

      Listen to Kingfish's version if you haven't. Absolutely legendary.

    • @joeld_i4052
      @joeld_i4052 2 года назад

      @@Not_what_it_used_to_be Thanks for letting me know! Never heard of the guy, very cool version. It's amazing what he did with it.

  • @thekarmafarmer608
    @thekarmafarmer608 2 года назад +1

    Really excellent posting friend. You`re right, the footage aids the tone of the track. Thank you for posting this. I found it quite moving

  • @nerfero
    @nerfero 3 года назад +2

    Recorded when I was still in the crib.
    Awesome! Thanks a lot!

  • @denisbergeron9783
    @denisbergeron9783 3 года назад +3

    This is so awesome it stocked in my head for several days

  • @mscommerce
    @mscommerce 3 года назад +3

    What a great find and song. Good work, especially on the video. The sound quality is superb. Some notes on where the documentary scenes are from would be icing on the cake.

  • @nanook8721
    @nanook8721 3 месяца назад

    Thanks for this absolute gem! I'm a 70-year-old woman who has heard this song by many different people, but I think, somehow, this one pulled me in the most.

  • @rocketpoolpki
    @rocketpoolpki 3 года назад

    Simply awesome...thank you for uploading.

  • @dwaynes5983
    @dwaynes5983 2 года назад +8

    This is awesome. Thank you for upload. Time Travel at its best.

  • @Bamboozled01
    @Bamboozled01 4 месяца назад +4

    Thank U Stephen, for uploading this Never to be forgotten Ageless Classic!
    Give Thanks 🙏🏽❤💛💚👊🏼

  • @upmyown
    @upmyown 3 года назад +2

    Thanks Stephen, great quality recording

  • @sedoff1948
    @sedoff1948 5 месяцев назад

    Thanks so much for the song and visuals. Cheers from Vietnam.

  • @old8235
    @old8235 4 года назад +9

    Great version , good to hear it really hadn't changed much

  • @dynjarren8355
    @dynjarren8355 4 года назад +16

    Hard scenes from a chain gang remind me that I never want to go to prison. Great original version of Hey Joe.

    • @garygilliam6587
      @garygilliam6587 3 года назад

      This is great. This is the first time I've heard the original. Thanks

  • @vin5388
    @vin5388 2 года назад

    Was just a much looking forward to the comments but the video was so captivating-Thanks for posting!

  • @johnnisbet
    @johnnisbet 4 месяца назад

    That sent shivers up my back. Thank you for posting.

  • @robertmayer1497
    @robertmayer1497 4 года назад +8

    Love the chord progression.
    Niela will check out your album. This version has a lot of raw heart and soul!

    • @foureyedchick
      @foureyedchick 4 года назад +4

      But it is underrated because it was done by a white man.

  • @Jm01394
    @Jm01394 3 года назад +3

    Thank you ! Love the folksy sound! Reminder of Cisco Houston.

  • @vaznilton7163
    @vaznilton7163 6 дней назад

    Gratidão por postar... Imagens de época... Fantástico...

  • @brianwells4507
    @brianwells4507 2 года назад

    Thanks for posting this I haven't heard the original version for years.

  • @markwalz1418
    @markwalz1418 3 года назад +9

    Wow! Mind blowing video. I grew up with the Deep Purple and Hendrix versions. Both amazing, but lacking the “grit” of the prisoner video with the slower tempo of this version. Love ‘em all.

  • @commonsensibility2051
    @commonsensibility2051 4 года назад +24

    I love this

  • @ew3rivera112
    @ew3rivera112 Год назад

    I am glad I finally the earliest recorded version of Hey Joe. Thanks for the upload.