The tale of the pink Stratocaster gifted by Jimi Hendrix to a young Billy Gibbons is a captivating story that has circulated within guitar circles for decades. It paints a picture of legendary guitarist Hendrix recognizing and nurturing the talent of a budding Gibbons during the early days of the Moving Sidewalks. This narrative often surfaces whenever the topic of iconic guitars or rock and roll folklore arises. But is there any truth to this widely accepted legend of the Pink Strat Guitar?
The story gained significant traction after being featured in the 1985 Rolling Stone book, “ZZ Top – Bad and Nationwide.” The book recounted the supposed encounter between Hendrix and Gibbons during a tour by the Moving Sidewalks with Hendrix. According to the popular version of events, Hendrix, deeply impressed by Gibbons’ guitar skills, generously gifted him a pink Fender Stratocaster. This anecdote has been repeated so frequently and across various platforms that it has become ingrained in rock history, blurring the lines between fact and fiction. The Rolling Stone article itself, published in 1984, even included a photograph purportedly showing Hendrix, the “Hendrix guitar,” and the Moving Sidewalks, further solidifying the myth in the public imagination.
While it is true that the Moving Sidewalks shared the stage with Jimi Hendrix, the reality of their interaction and the pink strat guitar story is far less romanticized. The Moving Sidewalks, riding the wave of their hit song “99th Floor,” indeed opened for Jimi Hendrix for four shows in Texas – two in Houston, and one each in Dallas and San Antonio. Over time, these four shows have been exaggerated into a more extensive “tour” in popular retelling. This connection to Hendrix became the foundation upon which the pink guitar myth was built, forging a seemingly direct link between the guitar god and his Texan protégé, Billy Gibbons.
However, accounts from those who were actually there paint a different picture. Dan Mitchell, associated with the Moving Sidewalks, recalls another, less momentous meeting with Hendrix in a hotel lobby later in their careers. A simple greeting and a brief recollection of their shared billing were the extent of their interaction. Hotel arrangements for Hendrix in Texas, managed by Don Lampton, further highlight the rather detached nature of Hendrix’s visit. Due to racial and rock and roll biases of the time, Hendrix could only secure accommodation at a motel on Interstate 35, indicating he wasn’t exactly receiving VIP treatment or forming close bonds with local bands.
Backstage accounts from the Sidewalks-Hendrix shows do confirm that Hendrix was impressed by Gibbons’ guitar playing. Listening to the Moving Sidewalks’ LP, one can hear the Hendrix influence in Gibbons’ style. Hendrix’s appreciation, however, didn’t extend to gifting guitars to Gibbons or other local guitarists on the bill, such as Jimmy Vaughan and the guitarists from The Fanatics. Interestingly, Hendrix did attempt to trade a 12-string guitar with Jon Pereles, the guitarist for Neil Ford and the Fanatics, for Pereles’ Stratocaster. This trade, however, never materialized. Hendrix did give away a pendant and a guitar strap to members of the show production team, but no pink Stratocaster to Billy Gibbons.
One Houston musician offers a plausible explanation for the myth’s genesis, suggesting that Gibbons may have jokingly referred to needing a “Hendrix guitar” sound in the studio, perhaps when seeking a Stratocaster tone as an alternative to his signature Pearly Gates Les Paul. The phrase “Hendrix guitar” might have stuck, evolving into the now-famous pink Stratocaster story.
Adding further weight to the debunking of the myth, a friend from the Tanglewood scene, where Gibbons and his peers were active, stated definitively that had Hendrix gifted Gibbons a pink Strat, it would have been common knowledge within their close-knit musical circle. No such story ever circulated amongst them.
The photograph often cited as proof of the myth, depicting Hendrix with a guitar alongside a young Billy Gibbons and the Moving Sidewalks, also falls apart under scrutiny. It was a black and white Polaroid taken by a roadie. The guitar Hendrix is holding is not his own, and crucially, it isn’t pink.
The true origin of the famous pink strat guitar is far more prosaic. Kurt Linhof, bassist for The Children, reveals that the pink guitar was one of three Stratocasters he and Billy Gibbons painted together in a garage. He even recalls the specific paint color: 1956 Ford Pink. Linhof still possesses one of these pink Stratocasters in Denver.
The pink strat guitar myth resurfaced in 1979 when ZZ Top’s Houston warehouse was burglarized, and Gibbons reported his prized pink “Hendrix” guitar as stolen. The guitar was later found in the hands of Michael Knust, former FeverTree guitarist, who had purchased it for $200 from a lawyer. Gibbons reportedly recovered the guitar for a slightly higher sum, creating a minor media buzz and further fueling the legend of the “Hendrix” pink strat in the public consciousness.
In conclusion, while the image of Jimi Hendrix gifting a pink Stratocaster to Billy Gibbons is a compelling rock and roll anecdote, the evidence strongly suggests it is a myth. The pink strat guitar’s story is less about a legendary gift and more about a homemade paint job and the enduring power of a good story, even when that story is taller than the truth. The pink strat guitar, while not a gift from Hendrix, remains an iconic piece in Billy Gibbons’ guitar collection, albeit with a more grounded and less mythical origin story.
