THE MYSTERY OF "HEY JOE"

JIMI HENDRIX WAS SO REVOLUTIONARY AS A ROCK GUITARIST THAT PEOPLE OFTEN OVERLOOK THE FACT THAT HE WAS ALSO AN AMAZING ROCK COMPOSER.
OF THE THREE COVER SONGS THAT DO APPEAR ON HENDRIX'S THREE MAIN ALBUMS THEY ARE EITHER- SO COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED LIKE-DYLAN'S "ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER" THAT JIMI DESERVE'S A WRITING CREDIT AND AT LEAST
SURELY COPYRIGHT OWNERSHIP OF THE ARRANGEMENT.{UNKNOWN}
ON THE OLD BLUES STANDARD "RED HOUSE" SIMILARLY JIMI COMPLETELY OVERPOWER'S-A GREAT SONG-WITH HIS ASTOUNDING BLUES GUITAR TALENT THAT HE JUST DOESN'T COPY OTHER VERSIONS BUT SEEMS TO CONNECT TO IT DIRECTLY FROM HIS VERY SOUL.["BUT THAT'S ALL RIGHT I STILL GOT MY GUITAR"}
FINALLY WE COME TO "HEY JOE" THE SONG THAT LAUNCHED JIMI'S CAREER IN
ENGLAND.HIS FIRST SINGLE AND HIS FIRST HIT.THE HISTORY OF A "HEY JOE" IS
A MYSTERY BECAUSE IN THE END YOU RELIZE NO ONE REALLY KNOW'S WHO
WROTE IT.RIGHT BEFORE JIMI WAS DISCOVERED BY CHAS CHANDLER{A FORMER
MEMBER OF "THE ANIMALS"}}IN GREENWICH VILLAGE{NEW YORK CITY]SINGER-
SONGWRITER "TIM ROSE" HAD PLAYED AN ARRANGMENT SIMILIAR TO JIMI'S ON HIS
DEBUT ALBUM.ROSE OFTEN PLAYED AROUND THE VILLAGE SO IT'S VERY POSSIBLE
JIMI GOT IT FROM ROSE;WHO DIDN'T WRITE IT AND TRIED TO PRETEND HE KNEW
WHO DID BUT NONE OF HIS STORIES HELD UP UNDER SCRUTINY.
AT ONE POINT IN THE MID-SIXTIES QUITE A FEW GARAGE BANDS COVERED
"JOE" BUT THEY PLAYED IT AT A MUCH FASTER TEMPO-"THE LEAVES" RECORDED IT AND SO DID "LOVE".HENDRIX HAD PLAYED WITH "LOVE" SO HE COULD HAVE HEARD IT THEN AND WHEN ROSE RE-ARRANGED-DECIDING HE LIKED IT SLOWER
BETTER.IT COULD JUST BE THAT "HEY JOE" IS ONE OF THOSE BLUE'S/FOLK AMERICAN STANDARDS WHOSE AUTHORS NAME HAS BEEN LOST IN TIME.
P. HOLLY-6/28/07