William Cox (born October 18, 1941) is an American
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gu ...
ist, best known for performing with
Jimi Hendrix. Cox is the only surviving musician to have regularly played with Hendrix: first with the experimental group that backed Hendrix at Woodstock (informally referred to as "Gypsy Sun and Rainbows"), followed by the trio with drummer
Buddy Miles
George Allen "Buddy" Miles Jr. (September 5, 1947February 26, 2008) was an American composer, drummer, guitarist, vocalist and producer. He was a founding member of the Electric Flag (1967), a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys (1969–1 ...
that recorded the live ''
Band of Gypsys
''Band of Gypsys'' is a live album by Jimi Hendrix and the first without his original group, the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was recorded on January 1, 1970, at the Fillmore East in New York City with Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on dru ...
'' album, and, lastly,
The Cry of Love Tour trio with
Mitch Mitchell
John Graham "Mitch" Mitchell (9 July 194612 November 2008)In his book about the Experience, Mitchell states he celebrated his 21st birthday while on tour on 9 July 1967, which makes his birth year 1946.Mitchell's obituaries in '' Billboard' '' ...
back on drums. Cox continues to perform dates with the Band of Gypsys Experience and the Experience Hendrix Tour.
In addition to Hendrix, he has either been a member of the house or touring band or recorded sessions for
Sam Cooke,
Slim Harpo
Slim Harpo (born James Isaac Moore; January 11, 1924 – January 31, 1970) was an American blues musician, a leading exponent of the swamp blues style, and "one of the most commercially successful blues artists of his day". He played guitar and ...
,
Joe Simon
Joseph Henry Simon (October 11, 1913 – December 14, 2011) was an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the ...
,
Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit " The ...
,
John McLaughlin,
Rufus Thomas
Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess ...
,
Carla Thomas
Carla Venita Thomas (born December 21, 1942) is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. Thomas is best known for her 1960s recordings for Atlantic and Stax including the hits " Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)" (1 ...
,
Lou Rawls
Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American record producer, singer, composer and actor. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his s ...
,
Etta James
Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, ...
,
Jackie Wilson
Jack Leroy Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer and performer of the 1950s and 60s. He was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a mas ...
and
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...
.
Early years
Born in
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extendin ...
, Billy Cox was raised in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, Pennsylvania, and attended
Schenley High School
Schenley High School, located in the North Oakland neighborhood at the edge of the Hill District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a historic building opened in 1916 that was a part of the Pittsburgh Public Schools. The Schenley High School building ...
.
Cox met Jimi Hendrix when they were serving in the Army at
Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee (post address is located in Kentucky). Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Div ...
, Kentucky, in 1961. While using the bathroom at Service Club No. 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
Clarksville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States. It is the fifth-largest city in the state behind Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. The city had a population of 166,722 as of the 2020 United States ...
, finally moving to
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...
. 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
The Chitlin' Circuit was a collection of performance venues throughout the eastern, southern, and upper Midwest areas of the United States that provided commercial and cultural acceptance for African American musicians, comedians, and other enterta ...
". Cox and Hendrix also played in the backing band for
Marion James around this time.
Hendrix eventually left Nashville, playing all over the U.S. in the backing groups of several famous artists (most notably Little Richard and
the Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decade ...
) until he was "discovered" by
Chas Chandler
Bryan James "Chas" Chandler (18 December 1938 – 17 July 1996) was an English musician, record producer and manager, best known as the original bassist in The Animals, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He ...
in New York City's
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
. Chandler took Hendrix to England, but before Hendrix left, he called Cox and asked him to join him. As Cox "only had three strings on
isbass" 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
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wi ...
, working closely with Hoss Allen and John Richbourg of WLAC Radio.
With Jimi Hendrix
In 1969, several months before bassist
Noel Redding
David Noel Redding (25 December 1945 – 11 May 2003) was an English rock musician, best known as the bass player for the Jimi Hendrix Experience and guitarist/singer for Fat Mattress.
Following his departure from the Experience in 1969 ...
left the Jimi Hendrix Experience,
Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
called his old friend Cox, who joined him in New York as his studio bassist. Following the break-up of the Experience, Cox performed with Hendrix's experimental group, informally called Gypsy Sun and Rainbows. This group played at
Woodstock
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...
and two low-key New York gigs. Hendrix then formed another short-lived group with Cox and
Buddy Miles
George Allen "Buddy" Miles Jr. (September 5, 1947February 26, 2008) was an American composer, drummer, guitarist, vocalist and producer. He was a founding member of the Electric Flag (1967), a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys (1969–1 ...
, that recorded ''
Band of Gypsys
''Band of Gypsys'' is a live album by Jimi Hendrix and the first without his original group, the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was recorded on January 1, 1970, at the Fillmore East in New York City with Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on dru ...
'', the live album that he owed former manager
Ed Chalpin
Ed Chalpin (January 16, 1935 in NYC – October 1, 2019 in Boca Raton, FL) was a record executive and producer. He is probably remembered for his association with Curtis Knight and the Squires which caused problems for Jimi Hendrix throughout hi ...
as part of a legal settlement. Following their demise, Cox recorded and toured with Hendrix and
Mitch Mitchell
John Graham "Mitch" Mitchell (9 July 194612 November 2008)In his book about the Experience, Mitchell states he celebrated his 21st birthday while on tour on 9 July 1967, which makes his birth year 1946.Mitchell's obituaries in '' Billboard' '' ...
for
The Cry of Love Tour, when promoters sometimes billed them as the "Jimi Hendrix Experience".
Cox contributed most of the bass parts on the first group of posthumously released Hendrix albums, including ''
The Cry of Love
''The Cry of Love'' is a posthumous album by American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Recorded primarily in 1970, it features new material that Hendrix was working on for his planned fourth studio album before his death later t ...
'' (1971), ''
Rainbow Bridge'' (1971), ''
War Heroes'' (1972), and ''
Loose Ends'' (1974). Most of the tracks from these albums were consolidated as ''
First Rays of the New Rising Sun'' (1997), which is the most complete attempt to present Hendrix's fourth studio album (see Hendrix's
posthumous discography and
videography
Videography is the process of capturing moving images on electronic media (e.g., videotape, direct to disk recording, or solid state storage) and even streaming media. The term includes methods of video production and post-production. It us ...
for a complete list). Additionally, Cox appears on many
live albums and films from the Cry of Love Tour.
After Hendrix's death
1970s–1980s
In 1971, Cox released his album ''Nitro Function'' with
Char Vinnedge (from
Luv'd Ones) and Robert Tarrant. Cox played with others, including the
Charlie Daniels Band
Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit "The Dev ...
, as well as session work and live dates. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, 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
John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and bassist of British rock band Cream. After the group disban ...
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.
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
Eric Gales (born October 29, 1974), also known as Raw Dawg, is an American blues rock guitarist, originally hailed as a child prodigy. , Gales has recorded nineteen albums for major record labels and has done session and tribute work. He has ...
, Kenny Olsen,
Sheldon Reynolds, Andy Aledort and Gary Serkin. The album, titled ''The Band Of Gypsys Return'', was released in 2006.
Cox currently plays with the Experience Hendrix, a semi-regular touring Hendrix tribute band featuring top guitarists and former Hendrix collaborators. Cox's solo album ''Last Gypsy Standing'' was released in 2009.
In 2009, he was inducted into the
Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum
The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum (MHOF) in Nashville honors all musicians regardless of genre or instrument. The MHOF timeline starts with the beginning of recorded music and inductees are nominated by current members of the American Feder ...
in Nashville.
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
Edwin H. Kramer (born 19 April 1942) is a British recording producer and engineer. He has collaborated with several artists now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Led Zepp ...
. 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. On June 23, 2019, Cox was inducted into the
Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame
The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame is an independent organization whose mission is to educate and to celebrate, preserve, promote, and present rhythm and blues music globally.
History
The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame was founded ...
along with his band mates, Hendrix and Miles for their groundbreaking work as the Band of Gypsys. Cox was on hand to accept the award in Detroit, Michigan, and performed with guitarist Dani Robinson and drummer Richie Monica.
Discography
Solo
*''Nitro Function'' (1971)
*''Last Gypsy Standing'' (2009)
*''Old School Blue Blues'' (2011)
*''Unfiltered'' (2014)
Collaboration
*''
Them Changes'',
Buddy Miles
George Allen "Buddy" Miles Jr. (September 5, 1947February 26, 2008) was an American composer, drummer, guitarist, vocalist and producer. He was a founding member of the Electric Flag (1967), a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys (1969–1 ...
(1970)
*''
Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit " The ...
'',
Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit " The ...
(1971)
*''
5'',
J.J. Cale (1979)
*''Veranda'',
Christine Lakeland
Christine Lakeland (born July 11, 1954) is an American musician/songwriter. She was married to the late guitarist/songwriter J.J. Cale. She played on many of his albums and was a member of his band. She also has recorded several albums under her ...
(1984)
*"
I Don't Live Today" on ''
Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix'',
Slash
Slash may refer to:
* Slash (punctuation), the "/" character
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Slash (Marvel Comics)
* Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'')
Music
* Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band
* Nash th ...
,
Paul Rodgers
Paul Rodgers (born 17 December 1949) is a British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead vocalist of numerous bands, including Free, Bad Company, The Firm, and The Law. He has also performed as a solo artist, and coll ...
and
Buddy Miles
George Allen "Buddy" Miles Jr. (September 5, 1947February 26, 2008) was an American composer, drummer, guitarist, vocalist and producer. He was a founding member of the Electric Flag (1967), a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys (1969–1 ...
(1993)
*''
Midnight Daydream'',
Bruce Cameron (1997)
*''
The Deep End, Volume 2'',
Gov't Mule
Gov't Mule (pronounced "Government Mule") is an American Southern rock jam band, formed in 1994 as a side project of the Allman Brothers Band by guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody. Fans often refer to Gov't Mule simply as ''Mule''. ...
(2002)
*''The Band of Gypsys Return'', with Buddy Miles and others (2006)
*"Achilles Barbecue" on ''Odd'',
Kaoll (2014)
With Jimi Hendrix
Studio recordings
*''
The Cry of Love
''The Cry of Love'' is a posthumous album by American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Recorded primarily in 1970, it features new material that Hendrix was working on for his planned fourth studio album before his death later t ...
'' (1971)
*''
Rainbow Bridge'' (1971)
*''
War Heroes'' (1972)
*''
Loose Ends'' (1974)
*''
Blues'' (1994; 6 tracks)
*''
Voodoo Soup'' (1995)
*''
First Rays of the New Rising Sun'' (1997)
*''
South Saturn Delta'' (1997; 5 tracks)
*''
Valleys of Neptune'' (2010; 3 tracks)
*''
West Coast Seattle Boy'' (2010; 14 tracks)
*''
People, Hell & Angels'' (2013; 7 tracks)
*''
Both Sides of the Sky'' (2018; 6 tracks)
Live recordings
August 18, 1969 Woodstock performance ("Gypsy Sun and Rainbows")
*''
Woodstock
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...
'' (1994)
*''
Live at Woodstock'' (1999)
December 31, 1969 – January 1, 1970 Fillmore East performances ("Band of Gypsys")
*''
Band of Gypsys
''Band of Gypsys'' is a live album by Jimi Hendrix and the first without his original group, the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was recorded on January 1, 1970, at the Fillmore East in New York City with Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on dru ...
'' (1970)
*''
Band of Gypsys 2'' (1986; side one, 3 tracks)
*''
Live at the Fillmore East
''Live at the Fillmore'' and similar names may refer to any of the following live albums, recorded at any of the concert venues known as "the Fillmore".
Fillmore venues
* The Fillmore in San Francisco
* The Fillmore West in San Francisco
* The ...
'' (1999)
*''
Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show'' (2016)
*''
Songs for Groovy Children: The Fillmore East Concerts'' (2019)
April–September 1970 U.S./European tour ("The Cry of Love Tour")
*''
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...
'' (1971)
*''
The Jimi Hendrix Concerts
''The Jimi Hendrix Concerts'' is a posthumous live album by Jimi Hendrix, released in 1982. The album contains eleven songs from six different concerts between 1968 and 1970.
The album spent eleven weeks in the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number ...
'' (1982; 2 tracks)
*''
Johnny B. Goode'' (1986)
*''
Band of Gypsys 2'' (1986; side two, 3 tracks)
*''
Live Isle of Wight '70
''Live Isle of Wight '70'' is a posthumous live album by Jimi Hendrix released in 1991. It contains some of the songs from Hendrix's last U.K. live performance at the Isle of Wight Festival on August 31, 1970, three weeks before his death.
Th ...
'' (1991)
*''
Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight'' (2002)
*''
Live at Berkeley'' (2003)
*''
Live at the Isle of Fehmarn'' (2005)
*''
Freedom: Atlanta Pop Festival'' (2015)
Anthologies
*Recordings with Cox are spread across several Hendrix anthologies (for further information, see
Jimi Hendrix posthumous discography). He also appears in several Hendrix performance videos (see
Jimi Hendrix videography).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Billy
1941 births
American rock bass guitarists
American male bass guitarists
African-American rock musicians
Living people
Musicians from Pittsburgh
Musicians from West Virginia
Musicians from Wheeling, West Virginia
The Jimi Hendrix Experience members
United States Army soldiers
Band of Gypsys members
Gypsy Sun and Rainbows members
The Charlie Daniels Band members
20th-century American bass guitarists
African-American guitarists
Blues rock musicians