Who performed the iconic version of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at Woodstock?

Jimi Hendrix performed the iconic Woodstock version of "The Star-Spangled Banner." His solo electric-guitar interpretation became one of the defining musical moments of the 1960s.

Hendrix played the national anthem during his closing set on the morning of August 18, 1969. Festival delays had pushed his performance from its planned late-night slot to Monday morning, when the huge crowd had dwindled to roughly 30,000 people.

Using feedback, distortion, sustain, and the guitar's vibrato bar, Hendrix produced sounds many listeners interpreted as rockets, bombs, and battlefield noise. The performance was not simply a conventional protest song: Hendrix later said he was an American and described his treatment of the anthem as reflecting the atmosphere of the country at that time.

The performance became widely known through the 1970 Woodstock documentary film and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009.