Over the Beatles?
That's a non-sequitur, but I'll bite.
I don't know where you were in 1967, or what you were paying attention to, but when Hendrix hit the scene, he basically shell-shocked the reigning Lords of Rock on every continent.
Later commentaries from most of rock's legendary performers (of the day) recount that they were in utter awe of the man. Eric Clapton said that he was so stunned by what Hendrix was doing, that he couldn't play guitar for a solid year after seeing him live.
I won't dispute that The Beatles may have maintained record sales exceeding Hendrix', but there's no doubt that he achieved an artistic breakthrough of monumental proportions, and his peers all gave him his due for it - including the members of the Fab Four.