In October 1967, at Olympic Studios in London, The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded a ballad that ran two minutes and 24 seconds. It came out that December on the band's second album, Axis: Bold as Love, as "Little Wing." In 2024 Kim Hyuk Gun — who debuted in 2003 with THE CROSS's "Don't Cry" — sang it with guitarist Han Seung-ju, just the two of them.
This piece is for anyone coming to "Little Wing" for the first time: the band that made it, the song's history, and the Rockband Cross cover. It is part of our old-school rock covers series.
01.London, 1966: a trio called the Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience formed in London in 1966. Jimi Hendrix on guitar and vocals, Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums made up the original line-up, which was active from 1966 to 1969 and made three studio albums.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted the band in 1992, with Neil Young as inductor. The Hall writes that Hendrix "revolutionized electric guitar playing," and lists "Little Wing" from Axis: Bold as Love (1967) on its page.
02.Two minutes and 24 seconds on Axis: Bold as Love
"Little Wing" is on the Experience's second album, Axis: Bold as Love, released on 1 December 1967 in the UK on Track and on 15 January 1968 in the US on Reprise. Hendrix wrote the song, and it was recorded in October 1967 at Olympic Studios, London, with Chas Chandler producing. It runs 2:24.
The song is described as a rhythm-and-blues-inspired ballad. Hendrix said he developed the idea in Greenwich Village in 1966, and that the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival inspired it further.
03.A song taken up by Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Sting
The song is short; the list of artists who have revisited it is not. Eric Clapton recorded it with Derek and the Dominos during the Layla sessions. Stevie Ray Vaughan's instrumental version won the 1993 Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Sting covered it with an arrangement by Gil Evans.
Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time placed it at No. 357 in 2004 and at No. 188 in the 2021 revision.
04.Voice and guitar: the two members of Rockband Cross
Rockband Cross's "Little Wing" is a live cover by two people: Kim Hyuk Gun on vocals and Han Seung-ju on guitar. The video is titled as a "Jimi Hendrix Tribute," and the credits read "락밴드크로스 (김혁건 X 한승주)" — Rockband Cross, Kim Hyuk Gun x Han Seung-ju. The original runs 2:24; the cover runs 3:32.
Kim formed Rockband Cross in 2005, and Han Seung-ju has since played guitar alongside him in THE CROSS BAND, carrying their covers to the stage.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Original | The Jimi Hendrix Experience, "Little Wing" |
| Released | 1 December 1967 (UK) · 15 January 1968 (US) |
| Album | Axis: Bold as Love (second album) |
| Written by | Jimi Hendrix |
| Producer · recording | Chas Chandler · October 1967, Olympic Studios, London |
| Cover performers | Rockband Cross — Kim Hyuk Gun (vocals), Han Seung-ju (guitar) |
| Cover released | 24 January 2024 · THE CROSS OFFICIAL |
| Videos | Original · Cover |
05.The old-school rock covers series
If "Little Wing" is a song for voice and guitar, the rest of the series turns to the full band. Prince's 1984 ballad continues in Prince's "Purple Rain": the original and the cover, and Deep Purple's 1974 hard rock in Deep Purple's "Burn": the original and the cover.
Two heavy metal songs from 1980 are covered in Black Sabbath's "Heaven and Hell": the original and the cover and Ozzy Osbourne's "Mr. Crowley": the original and the cover. The full list is in THE CROSS Band's Rock Covers.
06.Listen again
Rockband Cross's "Little Wing" and the other cover videos are on THE CROSS's official YouTube channel, THE CROSS OFFICIAL, and subscribing is the fastest way to hear about new ones. The musicians who play with him are introduced on the THE CROSS BAND page.
Two minutes and 24 seconds in London in 1967 became three minutes and 32 seconds in 2024 — to sing the same song again is also to sing the years in between.