How David Gilmore went from working for Jimi Hendrix to playing for him

Some people say you should never meet your heroes. Well, for Pink Floyd’s David Gilmore, it couldn’t be further from the case. Growing up in Cambridge, Gilmore was always a fan of the late Jimi Hendrix. In particular, when it comes to the way he revolutionized the guitar and paved the way for experimental sounds. Frankly, it was Hendrix’s experimental sounds that allowed Pink Floyd to have a career.

Regardless, in the late ’60s, the two couldn’t have been further apart. At the time, Gilmour was an aspiring musician, and Hendrix was Jimi Hendrix, so of course Gilmour wasn’t on his radar. However, that all changed when Gilmour met Hendrix for the second time at a British music festival. This was the second time, because Hendrix didn’t seem to remember who he was after the first time.

David Gilmour and his sound mixing talents

Gilmore said Prog Magazine“,” came down [to the festival] to go to it, and I was camping in a tent, just as a gambler” and “I went backstage where our main road guy, Peter Watts, was trying to deal with all the chaos.” After returning backstage, it became very clear to Gilmour that the sound engineers needed a great deal of help on how to produce the Hendrix sound live. “They were very nervous; they were very nervous,” Gilmour said. “They had to mix the Hendrix sound” and “I did some mixing in those days, and they said, ‘Help! Help!’ So I did.

So, with Gilmour in control of the sticks, he of course got the chance to meet the man who partially helped give birth to Pink Floyd. Nothing in particular is known about what was said during their interaction. Although it was a short-lived musical partnership, it was incredibly beneficial for Gilmour and Pink Floyd.

Jimi Hendrix’s second UK tour

On his second UK tour in 1967, Hendrix and his bandmates allowed Gilmour and Pink Floyd to open up shop for him. The tour consisted of 31 shows in 16 cities and included the bands The Move, The Nice, and The Outer Limits. The lineup is often considered one of the best lineups of all time due to the careers that all of the post-opening openers continued to have for Hendrix.

Funnily enough, Pink Floyd’s set at all of these shows only ranged from about 15 to 20 minutes. Still, this was the opportunity of a lifetime, all thanks to Gilmour’s mixing skills. Lucky, yes, but that’s what it takes. A little luck and a lot of hard work.