Jimi Hendrix’s Bassist Revisit Woodstock 1969 Experience

Trip Down Memory Lane

Almost fifty years ago, Jimi Hendrix performed “The Star Spangled Banner” and the world was never the same.

His set during the Woodstock Music and Art Fair elevated him to greater heights. Sure, the conditions at the festival were far from ideal but it was that particular performance which helped Hendrix secure his spot in the rock ‘n roll pantheon. The man became a household name.

Billy Cox, who is the only surviving member of Hendrix’s three bands, keeps his music and legacy alive by being back on the road and playing for the Experience Hendrix tribute tour. He looks back at the pivotal moment in Hendrix’s career.

“I didn’t realize how actually monumental that was until after it was over. Things like that don’t hit you all of a sudden, it’s the aftermath. And it was very incredible and very unique.”

He also remembers how Hendrix helped hyped them up in preparation for their performance.

“I remember we came to the rear of the stage, and when we got up (drummer) Mitch (Mitchell) looked out and saw all those people and said, ‘Whoa.’ And I looked out and said, ‘That’s a lot of people.’

“And Jimi, with his wisdom, said, ‘You know, they’re sending a lot of energy up on the stage. So what we’re going to do is we’re going to take that energy, utilize it, and send it right back to them,’ and that’s just what we did.”

Aside from Cox, many other rock icons have joined the Experience Hendrix Tour to pay homage to one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Included in the roster are Dave Mustaine, Joe Satriani, and Dweezil Zappa. Cox further adds:

“Jimi Hendrix wrote in the now. These tours that we are doing, I know there has been an outpouring of love and respect for Jimi Hendrix and his music.

“These guitar players, they’re really aficionados of Jimi Hendrix music, because if they started playing guitar after the ’70s then let’s face it, the first songs basically or more than likely would be ‘Hey Joe,’ ‘Foxey Lady,’ ‘Purple Haze,’ songs of that nature.”

Even among his peers, Jimi Hendrix was a legend. And decades after his death, no one still comes close to him.