Jimi Hendrix, ‘Star Spangled Banner (Live at Woodstock)’ – Butch’s Way Back Wednesday

As a music fan there is always something new and great, but there really is something special about the songs you grew up listening to. For me, that was 70′s and 80′s classic rock. If I am in a shi**y mood, I throw in a little Zeppelin or Rush and take a trip back to rolling in my mom’s T-Bird. Now every Wednesday you get to take that trip with me. It’s Way Back Wednesday with Butch, and today’s feature is a song that is special since today is September 11th… Jimi Hendrix, "Star Spangled Banner (Live at Woodstock)."

At first, some thought Hendrix's famously unconventional solo guitar reading of our National Anthem was disrespectful or misguided. But over time, the former military man's rendition has become recognized as one of the most patriotic moments in rock history. It's also been duplicated by other guitarists countless times since.

At Woodstock, Jimi Hendrix reinvented it from top to bottom as a showcase for what could be done with extreme, high-volume electric guitar distortion, his riffs often interpreted as mimicking weapons explosions and bombs dropping from the sky. Asked by Dick Cavett on national television shortly after the festival about whether the version was blasphemous, Hendrix simply stated, "I thought it was beautiful."

The "beautiful" rendition from the rock legend helps us remember those we lost 12 years ago today...