Jimi Hendrix
at Woodstock 1969
The greatest guitarist of all time closed Woodstock with his legendary Star-Spangled Banner performance, attended by approximately 180,000 remaining fans.
Jimi Hendrix — Woodstock 1969
Jimi Hendrix was born Johnny Allen Hendrix on November 27, 1942 in Seattle, Washington. Widely regarded as the greatest guitarist who ever lived, Hendrix headlined and closed Woodstock 1969 — though due to the massive schedule delays, his performance didn't begin until approximately 9 a.m. on Monday, August 18, by which time the crowd had dwindled from a peak of 400,000-500,000 to an estimated 180,000 remaining fans.
Hendrix performed backed by his new group Gypsy Sun and Rainbows — an expansion of the original Experience with additional musicians. His two-hour set was the longest of his career, and by many accounts one of the finest performances he ever gave.
The centerpiece of the set was his extraordinary deconstruction of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Hendrix transformed the national anthem into a sonic commentary on the Vietnam War era, using feedback, whammy bar, and distortion to simulate bombs falling, bullets flying, and helicopters hovering — all sounds that American soldiers were experiencing in Vietnam at that very moment. The performance has been called the greatest moment in the history of the electric guitar.
His complete Woodstock setlist ran approximately two hours and included "Purple Haze," "Voodoo Child," "Red House," "Foxy Lady," and "Hey Joe," among many others.
Hendrix died on September 18, 1970, at the age of 27, from asphyxiation following a barbiturate overdose. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.