David Gilmour: I mixed Jimi Hendrix's sound at the Isle Of Wight

Legendary Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour mixed the sound for fellow guitar hero Jimi Hendrix at the Isle Of Wight Festival in 1970, he tells Prog Magazine in the latest issue.

"I helped mix the sound for Hendrix at the Isle of Wight in 1970," the guitarist says. "Not a lot of people know that. From the side of the stage with WEM Audiomasters with Charlie Watkins.

“I went down [to the Isle of Wight] to go to it and I was camping in a tent, just being a punter and I went backstage where our main roadie guy, Peter Watts, was trying to deal with all the mayhem, with Charlie Watkins of WEM, and they were very nervous, they were going to have to mix Hendrix’s sound. I did some mixing stuff in those days and they said ‘Help! Help!’ so I did."

Asked if he got to know the pioneering American guitar player, Gilmour replies: “Not then. I had met him previous to that, once. I didn’t know him.”

Gilmour graces the cover of the latest issue of Prog which is on sale now. In it he discusses the sale of much of his guitar collection at auction for charity, and discusses the possible future of Pink Floyd and his own solo plans. There's also an in depth look at Gilmour's own solo career.

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Jerry Ewing

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.