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Ronnie Wood found worldwide fame with The Rolling Stones, but he was a well-known musician who played with world-class musicians before that. He stole a bass and played it in the Jeff Beck Group. Playing Guitar alongside Rod Stewart in Faces came next. Though known, he wasn’t Rolling Stones famous yet, and Wood got kicked out of his apartment as he was trying to be a friend to Jimi Hendrix and his dog.

Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood at home in 1976 (left); Wood's one-time flatmate Jimi Hendrix receives an award in 1967.
(l-r) Ronnie Wood; Jimi Hendrix | George Wilkes/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Ronnie Wood and Jimi Hendrix lived in the same flat in London

Wood’s commitments and Hendrix’s career kept both guitarists busy. Yet they hung out in the same circles outside of gigs, and they also shared a living space. 

As Wood writes in his autobiography Ronnie, he and Hendrix lived in soul singer P.P. Arnold’s building in London. Hendrix resided in the basement, Wood on the first floor, and Arnold upstairs. They occasionally found time in their busy schedules to spend quiet time at home hanging out together.

Wood and Hendrix developed a friendship as they shared a passion for music and living quarters. But not for long. Wood got kicked out of his apartment because Hendrix forgot a cardinal rule of pet ownership.

Wood tried to be a good friend but got kicked out of his apartment because Hendrix gave him a dog

It’s hard not to be taken in by a puppy’s cute stare, cuddly appearance, and boundless energy. Hendrix was, and it led to Wood getting kicked out of his flat. Wood described the situation in his book:

“One afternoon he came back to the flat with a basset hound called Loopy. I don’t know where or how he got it. He lived with Loopy for a while, but he was traveling and couldn’t really take care of him, and because I loved Loopy, he gave the dog to me. I thought that was pretty cool, except that Loopy never got house-trained and was always crapping on the floor. Pat Arnold didn’t think that was cool at all, so she threw Loopy and me out.”

Ronnie Wood

Give credit to Wood for trying to do right. If he hadn’t taken in Loopy, the dog might have ended up as a stray or living neglected in the basement flat. But in trying to help a friend, Wood lost his apartment because Hendrix ignored the first rule of being a responsible dog owner. 

According to the American Kennel Club (founded in 1884, nearly 50 years before Hendrix’s birth), the No. 1 rule of owning a dog is to understand the work that comes with it. “Before deciding that a dog is right for you, make an honest assessment: are you ready for the financial, emotional, and time commitment owning a dog requires?” the AKC writes. Hendrix wasn’t, and Wood lost his apartment because of it.

Wood writes in Ronnie that he didn’t make a ton of money playing in Jeff Beck Group or the early days of Faces. Losing his apartment seems like a headache he didn’t need, but like Hendrix getting the dog, he didn’t think that far down the line. Wood acted as a friend to Hendrix, who needed someone to care for the pup.

Thankfully, another gift Wood received from Hendrix led to a better outcome.

The future Rolling Stones member received a thoughtful gift from the ‘Foxy Lady’ singer

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They didn’t live together very long, and Wood got kicked out of his apartment because of Hendrix’s dog. Still, the “Purple Haze” singer gave his flatmate a thoughtful gift that didn’t poop on the floor.

Hendrix confessed how much he hated singing during one night they spent hanging out together. Wood told him to treat his voice like another instrument. In return for the sage advice, Hendrix gave a gift to his neighbor — a pair of albums. The two records — James Brown’s Live at the Apollo and B.B. King’s Live at the Regal — inspired Wood to take his guitar playing more seriously. Some of his best pre-Rolling Stones guitar playing followed in Faces before he got his call to join one of the most famous bands of all time.

The two-album gift was a blessing in disguise. Not so much the dog, which led to Ronnie Wood getting kicked out of his apartment because of he was being a friend Jimi Hendrix and his puppy.

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