ZZ TOP's BILLY F GIBBONS Recalls Opening Up For JIMI HENDRIX IN 1968 - "On Leaving The Stage I Was Grabbed By The Shoulders And There He Was Smiling"

In a new interview with Louder Sound, ZZ Top's Billy F Gibbons discusses touring with Jimi Hendrix, playing Hendrix covers, and his favourite Hendrix songs. An excerpt follows...

Meeting Hendrix:

When the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s tour reached Texas in February 1968, Gibbons’ teenaged group the Moving Sidewalks opened the show. They didn’t have enough songs of their own to fill their 40-minute slot, and included covers of two Hendrix classics before he came on.

“To try and wrap your head around those compositions, it was something so new you didn’t quite know where to begin," says Gibbons. "We were fortunate to be able to interpret our versions of 'Foxy Lady' and 'Purple Haze'. They were Texas interpretations. On leaving the stage I was grabbed by the shoulders and there was Hendrix smiling. He said: ‘I got to meet you. You got a lot of nerve! I like it.’"

Read the full interview at Louder Sound.