Jimi Hendrix Burning Guitar at Monterey Pop Signed Ltd.Ed. Photo by Ken Marcus

Description

Title of Photograph:  Jimi Hendrix at Monterey Pop (original photo composite with 35mm film frames, original cover photo for Hendrix "Live at Monterey" album -
signed 11x14 photograph by Ken Marcus)
Description
:
Collector's item
- this famous iconic photo of music legend Jimi Hendrix on stage at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival has never been offered for public sale previously. It is now available exclusively with this listing, in a signed limited edition of 50 (size 11x14).  This is THE original photo from the famous "Live at Monterery" album. As a customized addition to his original Hasselblad color photo, Marcus has added an enlarged b&w film strip from his 35mm camera, showing a few frames from the moments just after he made his famous color shot.
Note: only two 11x14 prints are currently available at this price; this listing is for prints #11/50 and #12/50 only.
Ken's Notes:
In June of 1967, I was invited by my friend Alan Pariser to document the Monterey Pop Festival. The concept for the festival was Alan’s, who along with John Phillips and Lou Adler produced the first music festival event to bring together unknown groups along with major talents on the same stage. Amongst those unknown talents that went on to become superstars were performers like Janis Joplin, the Who, Grateful Dead, and of course Jimi Hendrix.
I spent the first two days photographing various performances and the audience filled with hippies, while being exposed to amazing music and light shows.
Late on the third day,  I was positioned in the wings on stage right, as this flamboyantly dressed young black guitarist came on to perform. He didn’t look like any of the other black musicians that I’d seen.  I had no idea who he was or what to expect. I don’t think most of the attendees did either. I recall at that time seeing many in the audience getting up and heading to the exits for food and drink.
Almost as soon as the group began playing, people stopped in their tracks and quickly retuned to their seats. Apparently nobody had seen or heard anything like this before and their stunned reaction was immediate. His unusual guitar techniques and use of controlled feedback was mesmerizing.
As I shot their performance with my two cameras (Nikon & Hasselblad) the action onstage became louder and wilder with each song. Towards the end of their rendition of Wild Thing, Jimi dropped to his knees, placed his guitar on the floor, retrieved a tube of lighter fluid and mimicked masturbating with it while dousing his guitar before setting fire to it. Picking up the burning guitar, he waved it around, smashed it to the floor and produced bizarre sounds that were unworldly. Eventually it broke apart, and he threw what was left out into the audience before leaving the stage. The crowd was left with their jaws dropped wide open.
After the festival was over, I returned to Los Angeles and processed the transparency film as a color negative (a trendy alternative, artsy technique at the time). Since I had no commercial use for the festival photos, I filed them away in one of my job envelopes. As the years went on, the envelope was eventually removed from my studio and stored in a cardboard box, at home in my garage.
Thirty seven years went by rather quickly and one day in the process of moving, I found the dilapidated box containing the festival negatives and discovered to my surprise that they were still intact. By this time, I owned a digital scanner and selected a few of the images to see what they looked like. The first image I chose to scan was Jimi burning his guitar. I was amazed how intense it looked and realized that this was Hendrix at his most decisive moment.
Nobody, including myself had ever seen this image before, taken from onstage. I was awestruck at what I discovered! Here was Jimi Hendrix, onstage at the worlds first pop festival, setting fire to his guitar and blowing everyone's mind. When he walked onstage, hardly anybody knew who he was. A short time later when he left the stage, he had established himself as a legend in rock n' roll history.
There were other negatives in black and white of this performance that I found, along with dozens of images of other performers.
The Hendrix family utilized this icnoic photograph as the album cover image to commemorate Jimi’s appearance for the 40th Anniversary of the Monterey Pop Festival. Unfortunately, it has been used without permission and credited in various publications and websites as being shot by either of my friends Jim Marshall or Ed Caraeff who also were there in the audience shooting this historic event.
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Specifications
:
This is a signed limited edition 11x14 original photo composite by Ken Marcus. Artist's digital signature appears in the lower right front border. Image details and edition number are written on back, with hand-signed studio label. (Note: artist logo and copyright info do not appear on the prints, only on the web versions. Album cover shown is for reference only, no album or album cover is offered with this listing.)
Archival properties
:
This is a museum quality archival giclee print on heavy weight fiber art paper, made from an authorized high resolution digital file.  With proper handling it should last 100+ years without fading or diminishing in quality. (Care, storage and exhibition instructions are included with each print.)
Larger sizes:
Most prints are available in larger sizes and limited editions. Please contact us directly for further details.
Shipping
: Prints are shipped unframed in archival acetate covers, in sturdy packaging. Shipments are sent via USPS First Class Insured or Priority Mail, and we guarantee safe delivery. The time from transaction to delivery is usually a maximum of 5 to 10 working days.
Authentication
:
You are purchasing this print from Playboy & Penthouse photographer Ken Marcus, via Morey Studio. Each buyer receives a personalized letter of authentication on Ken Marcus Studio letterhead. The letter is hand signed and dated, detailing print titles and unique edition numbers, as well as handling and framing guidelines.
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About the artist:
Ken Marcus is one of America's most famous erotic photographers. For over 40 years, his award winning work has been regularly featured in Playboy & Penthouse Magazines, offered in galleries, books and featured on television (Baywatch) and movies. He served as Artist-In-Resident at the Yosemite National Park Museum (where he produced a controversial series of Nudes In Nature).
Recognized as one of Hollywood's top glamour and nude photographers, his subjects include celebrities, top bodybuilders, fine art nude, fetish and centerfold models. For over 20 years, Ken has produced professional level workshops, seminars, and an award winning series of videotapes on the fine art of glamour photography. After spending 53 years working out of his LA studio, Ken has recently relocated his facilities to the Las Vegas area.
Ken's educational background includes Art Center College of Design, Brooks Institute of Photography, numerous workshops with contemporary fine art photographers, and 13 years in Yosemite with Ansel Adams (as his youngest student).