You know that opening riff. Most of us do. It’s gritty, it’s slow, and it smells like 1966. But if you think the hey joe original song belongs to Jimi Hendrix, you’ve been sold a bit of a myth.
Hendrix didn't write it. He didn't even record it first.
Honestly, the real story of "Hey Joe" is a mess of lawsuits, jailhouse handovers, and a woman named Niela Miller who likely got the rawest deal in rock history. It’s a murder ballad that traveled from New York coffeehouses to London studios, picking up lies and legends along the way.
The Mystery of Billy Roberts
Most official documents point to one man: Billy Roberts. He was a folk singer, a bit of a drifter, and a regular on the Greenwich Village circuit in the early 1960s. He officially registered the copyright for "Hey Joe" in 1962.
But where did he get it?
Music is rarely born in a vacuum. Roberts had a girlfriend at the time, a talented songwriter named Niela Miller. In 1955, she wrote a song called "Baby, Please Don't Go To Town." If you listen to her demo today—and there are scratchy acetates out there—the chord progression is hauntingly familiar. It uses a specific circle of fifths (F-C-G-D-A) that defines the "Hey Joe" sound.
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Roberts basically took that framework, flipped the perspective from a woman begging her man to stay to a man named Joe heading to Mexico with a gun, and a legend was born.
Did Dino Valenti Steal It?
If you look at the back of early records by bands like The Leaves or Love, you’ll often see a different name: Dino Valenti.
Valenti was a charismatic figure, the guy who wrote the hippie anthem "Get Together." He was also known for telling "tall tales," to put it politely. For years, people in the L.A. scene swore Valenti wrote it.
The truth is weirder.
There’s a long-standing story that Roberts gave the rights to Valenti while Dino was in jail. Why? To give his friend some royalty income when he finally got out. It was a noble gesture that turned into a decades-long headache for music historians. To this day, some old-school fans will argue until they're blue in the face that Valenti is the true author. He wasn't. He was just the guy who popularized it on the West Coast.
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The First Recordings (No, Not Jimi)
By 1965, "Hey Joe" was a "garage rock" staple. It was the song every band played to prove they were tough.
The very first commercial recording came from a Los Angeles band called The Leaves. They actually recorded it three different times because they couldn't get the tempo right. Their 1965 version is fast—almost frantic. It sounds nothing like the moody version we know today.
Others followed quickly:
- The Surfaris (the "Wipe Out" guys) put out a version.
- The Byrds recorded it because David Crosby was obsessed with the track.
- Love featured it on their debut album, though they changed the lyrics to "money in your hand" instead of a gun.
Wait. Why money? Johnny Echols, the guitarist for Love, later claimed he gave The Leaves the "wrong" lyrics as a joke to mess with them. He told them it was about money, not a gun. The Leaves didn't care; they just wanted a hit.
The Tim Rose Connection
If you’re looking for the bridge between the fast garage versions and the slow Hendrix burn, you have to look at Tim Rose.
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In 1966, Rose recorded a version that dragged the tempo into the mud. It was dark. It was menacing. Rose claimed the song was a "traditional" folk song, which was a clever way to try and claim the arrangement royalties for himself.
Chas Chandler, the bassist for The Animals, saw Rose performing this slow version at the Café Wha? in New York. Chandler was looking for a song to launch a new guitarist he’d just discovered. That guitarist? Jimi Hendrix.
Why the Song Still Matters
The hey joe original song is essentially a crime report set to music. It’s a "question and answer" ballad, a format that goes back centuries to Scottish and English folk traditions like "Little Sadie."
It’s uncomfortable. It’s about a man catching his wife with another man and shooting her. In the 21st century, the lyrics are jarring, to say the least. Yet, the song remains one of the most covered tracks in history. There are over 1,800 known versions. In Wroclaw, Poland, thousands of guitarists gather every year to play it simultaneously in the town square.
The power isn't in the violence of the lyrics, but in that relentless, descending chord progression. It feels like a man walking toward a fate he can't escape.
Key Facts to Remember
- Copyright Year: 1962 by Billy Roberts.
- The "Real" Source: Likely Niela Miller’s "Baby, Please Don't Go To Town."
- First Hit: The Leaves (reaching #31 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966).
- The Hendrix Impact: Recorded in London, October 1966, creating the "definitive" version.
Actionable Insights for Music Fans
If you want to truly understand the evolution of this song, don't just stick to the Hendrix version. You've got to hear the path it took.
- Listen to Niela Miller: Find her 1962 demo of "Baby, Please Don't Go To Town" on YouTube. You will hear the DNA of "Hey Joe" immediately.
- Compare The Leaves and Tim Rose: Play them back-to-back. It’s the best lesson you’ll ever get on how a "producer's ear" can change the entire mood of a composition.
- Check the Credits: Next time you’re at a record store, look at the back of 1960s folk or rock compilations. Finding a "Dino Valenti" credit is like finding a piece of a historical puzzle.
The song is a chameleon. It’s been country (Carl Smith), garage rock (The Leaves), psychedelic blues (Hendrix), and even punk (Patti Smith). It belongs to everyone and no one. That’s probably exactly how Billy Roberts—or Niela Miller—intended it, whether they meant to or not.