Discovered by Pat Boone, The Leaves (John Beck, Jim Pons, Tom Ray, Robert Lee Reiner and Bill Rinehart) 1965 effort "Hey Joe, Where You Gonna Go" (Billy Roberts) has been rerecorded several times by the same band. A 1966 recording by the group as "Hey Joe" charted in the top forty on Billboard. The authorship has also been attributed to Len Partridge, Tim Rose and/or Dino Valenti. It was probably a traditional tune.

The Jimi (John) Hendrix Experience (Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding) version of "Hey Joe" reached the top ten in the U.K. and did not chart in the U.S. even though the world thought it had as it remains a classic rock standard. The track is on the American issued album "Are You Experienced". Through his career Jimi acted as a sideman for a diverse set of entertainers like The Isley Brothers, Little Richard, Don Covay, King Curtis, Jane Mansfield and Timothy Leary.