After Buddy Guy announced his retirement from touring last year at 88, the blues hero is making a brief return to the stage by performing on the final date of the 2025 Experience Hendrix Tour at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on April 12.
The blues legend – who Jimi Hendrix himself looked up to and eventually befriended – has been added to the lineup, which features a who's who of guitar heroes, including Zakk Wylde, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Samantha Fish, Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram, and Marcus King.
Among the artists involved in this iteration's lineup, Buddy Guy has the distinction of being the only performer whom Hendrix himself acknowledged as a significant influence on his playing.
A testament to Guy and Hendrix's mutual respect and admiration is perhaps one of rock history's most underrated gems – the rare footage of Jimi Hendrix jamming with Buddy Guy in 1968, which kicks off with Guy performing a rendition of Stormy Monday at a small club with his band, followed by Hendrix joining him on stage with his Strat.
Commenting on his return to the stage and his friendship with Hendrix, Guy says, “Thank you to the Hendrix Tour family for bringing me back to perform at The Fox Theatre in Atlanta on April 12. I'll never forget meeting Jimi at that club in New York in 1968, and I'm so grateful we had the chance to become friends. It's an honor to help keep his legacy alive.”
Janie Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix's stepsister, who has been pivotal in steering his legacy, also comments on Guy's inclusion in the lineup.
“Having Buddy come out of retirement to play with us in the Atlanta show is an amazing finale,” she says. “It’s a true act of friendship and mutual admiration. I can’t think of a better way to close out such an epic event.”
The 2025 edition of the Experience Hendrix Tour kicks off at Cincinnati's Taft Theatre on March 11, with a total of 27 stops throughout the U.S. and Canada.
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