Billy Cox

Early years

Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, Billy Cox was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and attended Schenley High School.

Cox met Jimi Hendrix when they were serving in the Army at Fort Campbell, Kentucky in 1961. While using the bathroom at Service Club #1 during a sudden rainstorm, he heard guitar playing inside. Impressed with what he heard, he introduced himself, told Hendrix he played bass, and they were jamming soon after. They became, and remained, fast friends. They left the military around the same time and they played clubs around Clarksville, Tennessee, finally moving to Nashville. They formed a group called the King Kasuals. They played at Nashville clubs, mostly the Del Morocco, and occasional outlying gigs in the southeast, once as far north as Indianapolis playing what was called the "Chitlin' Circuit". Cox and Hendrix also played in the backing band for Marion James around this time.

Hendrix eventually left Nashville, playing all over the US in the backing groups of several famous artists (most notably Little Richard and The Isley Brothers) until he was "discovered" by Chas Chandler in New York. Chandler took Hendrix to England (from which began Hendrix's meteoric rise to fame), but before Hendrix left, he called Cox and asked him to join him. As Cox "only had three strings on [his] bass" and no money to travel to New York, he simply thanked Hendrix and wished him well.

During this period, Cox played bass on such pioneering R&B television shows as Nashville’s “Night Train” and “The!!!! Beat” from Dallas, Texas, working closely with Hoss Allen and John Richbourg of WLAC Radio.

Band of Gypsys & The Jimi Hendrix New Experience (The Cry of Love Band)

In 1969, several months before bassist Noel Redding left the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Hendrix called his old friend Cox, who joined him in New York as his studio bassist. Following the break-up of the Experience, Cox became a member of Hendrix's experimental group, tentatively titled Gypsy Sun and Rainbows. This group went on to play at Woodstock and two low-key New York gigs before being disbanded. Hendrix then formed another short-lived group with Cox and Buddy Miles, the Band of Gypsys. They recorded the eponymously titled live LP that he owed former manager Ed Chalpin as part of a legal settlement. Following their demise, Cox played a series of shows with Hendrix and Mitch Mitchell in the reformed New Experience, formerly called The Cry of Love. In addition to the Band of Gypsys release, Cox's bass playing can be heard on such posthumously released Hendrix albums as South Saturn Delta, Live at Woodstock, Live at the Fillmore East, Nine to the Universe, and a reconstructed version of First Rays of the New Rising Sun, in addition to such home-videos as Live at the Isle of Wight 1970, Live at Woodstock, The Dick Cavett Show, Rainbow Bridge, and Jimi Hendrix.

On September 8, 2006, Cox mentioned in an interview on the KQRS-FM morning show that he can be heard playing bass on five of the first notes of Jimi Hendrix's famous Woodstock "Star Spangled Banner". The rendition was completely impromptu according to him. He said he thought to himself at the moment, "I realized we had not rehearsed this, I had better lay off." He toured with Hendrix (with Mitch Mitchell on drums), usually billed as 'the Jimi Hendrix Experience', from 25 April until 6 September 1970 on the Cry of Love tour. Cox lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where he remains active in music, and acts as an ambassador for Jimi Hendrix, his music and philosophy.

1970s–1980s

In 1971, Cox released his album Nitro Function with Char Vinnedge (from Luv'd Ones) and Robert Tarrant and Jim Dant. Cox played with others, including the Charlie Daniels Band, as well as session work and live dates. Throughout the '70s and '80s, Cox would continue to be a part of Jimi's music as posthumous releases continued to pour out.

1990s

In 1995, Cox along with Mitchell, Redding and Miles began participating in Hendrix tributes and tours. In 1999, Cox appeared on the late Bruce Cameron's album, Midnight Daydream, that included other Hendrix alumni Mitchell and Miles along with Jack Bruce and others. Cox has also performed some dates along with Mitchell and guitarist Gary Serkin with a Hendrix-tribute outfit called the Gypsy Sun Experience.

Cox worked on First Rays of the New Rising Sun, Hendrix's fourth studio album, which was cut off by Hendrix's death. Cox has also been known to guest speak at University level music seminars. In this capacity he has been helpful to the aspiring musicians by spending time with them in discussion and demonstration sessions. This spirit of sharing and helping other musicians is similar to his former bandleader Hendrix's vision of providing musicians with a no-pressure (including cost breaks if needed) recording environment in the now legendary Electric Lady studios located in Greenwich Village, NYC.

2000s

In 2004, Miles reunited yet again with Cox of the Band of Gypsys to re-record songs from the original live album of 1970 with guitarists Eric Gales, Kenny Olsen, Sheldon Reynolds, Andy Aledort and Gary Serkin. The album, titled The Band Of Gypsys Return, was released in 2006.

As of November 12, 2008, Cox is the only surviving member of both The Jimi Hendrix Experience and the Band Of Gypsys. On Monday, October 12, 2009, Cox was inducted into Musician's Hall of Fame in ceremonies held at The Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tennessee. He currently plays with the Experience Hendrix, a semi-regular touring Hendrix tribute band featuring top guitarists and former Hendrix collaborators. Billy's solo album Last Gypsy Standing was released in 2009. In 2009, he was also inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN.

2010s

Today, Billy Cox owns a video production company. He has produced numerous blues and a myriad of gospel shows. He co-authored the books Jimi Hendrix Sessions and Ultimate Hendrix with John McDermott and Eddie Kramer. Cox has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including these: In 2009 he was inducted into The Musicians Hall Of Fame; he received The Founders Award in 2010, given by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. In 2011 Cox was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall Of Fame. He released Old School Blue Blues in 2011, and continues to tour with "The Experience Hendrix Tour" each year and his own Band of Gypsys Experience. He released the single Run featuring the androgynous singer and songwriter Marlon Alarm in November 2011, and his latest release, Unfiltered, came out in late 2014.

Solo

Collaboration

Gypsy Sun and Rainbows

Band of Gypsys

The Jimi Hendrix New Experience a.k.a. Cry of Love band

Jimi Hendrix