Billy Cox, who played bass in The Jimi Hendrix Experience and in Jimi Hendrix’s side group Band of Gypsys with drummer Buddy Miles, is contributing a painting he created inspired by the late guitar icon to an upcoming charity auction.
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The painting, titled “Maui Moon,” will be in conjunction with a November 7 benefit event in Chicago called the Maui Music & Food Experience. The gathering, which will take place at Gateway Theater at the Copernicus Center, also will feature music performances and Hawaiian food.
The event will raise money for the Maui-based Hua Momona Foundation. The charity seeks to spread Hawaii’s aloha spirit while providing food and mental-health programs for those in need, helping the Lahaina area rebuild following the devastating 2023 wildfires there, and cultivating a new youth-music program in West Maui. The Hua Momona Foundation was founded by Lahaina-based microgreens supplier Hua Momona Farms.
Performers at the Chicago fundraiser include Bettye LaVette, and former and current Rolling Stones backing singers Lisa Fischer and Bernard Fowler.
Tickets for the Chicago edition of the Maui Music & Food Experience are on sale now at OneCause.com. Previous Maui Music & Food Experience events were held on Maui in September 2024 and August 2025. Cox performed at the 2024 gathering, his last public performance to date.
The Story Behind Billy Cox’s Painting, “Maui Moon”
The origins of Cox’s painting date back to 1970, when was in Maui with The Jimi Hendrix Experience for the filming of the movie Rainbow Bridge. One night, while he and Jimi Hendrix were hanging out on the porch of their rental home, Billy noticed the beautiful moonlit landscape and mentioned to Jimi that he’d like to capture it with a painting. Hendrix’s responded with encouraging words, telling him, “Yeah, you should go ahead and do that. I’d like to see how it looks.”
Cox began the painting, using oil paints, but not long after he discovered that the piece was ruined while they were on a flight to the neighboring island of Oahu.
“I was crushed,” Billy recalled. “Jimi tried to cheer me up and said, ‘Just do another one—you’ll be inspired again.’” Sadly, Hendrix died several weeks later, before Cox made another painting.
Finally, in 2020, Cox completed the “Maui Moon” painting, as a tribute to Hendrix, the beautiful Hawaiian island, and the creative spark he shared with the legendary guitarist.
More Details About the Auction
People can start bidding now online for the “Maui Moon” painting and other items and experiences at OneCause.com. The starting bid for the painting is $5,000.
Bidding will close on November 8 with a live auction held during the Hua Momona Foundation’s annual gala at The San Filippo Estate in Barrington, Illinois. The live auction will take place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. CT. Remote bidding also will be available.
Cox Is Taking Part in Another Chicago Charity Event
Meanwhile, on November 6, Cox will be taking part in another Chicago event hosted by the Hua Momona Foundation and the Maui Music & Food Experience. The “Songs and Stories” event will be held at the Kimball Arts Center, and will feature Cox in conversation with Chicago musician Nicholas Tremulis.
The free event will mark the launch of the Maui Youth Music Program that will support and encourage young musicians on the Hawaiian island. Cox, Fowler, Tremulis, and longtime Rolling Stones touring bassist Darryl Jones all are part of the program’s inaugural advisory board.
Cox will chat with Tremulis about his friendship with Hendrix and the music they made together. Two may also give an impromptu performance. People who would like to attend the event can RSVP online here.
More About Billy Cox
Cox and Hendrix became friends in 1961, when they served in the U.S. Army together in Kentucky. In 1969, Hendrix invited Cox to record with him in the studio. Billy continued to play with Jimi after the breakup of The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s original lineup.
Cox was part of Hendrix’s backing group, informally known as Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, at the 1969 Woodstock festival. As mentioned earlier, Cox also played with Hendrix and Miles as the trio that came to be known as Band of Gypsys. In addition, Billy toured with Jimi and drummer Mitch Mitchell as The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Recordings Cox did with Hendrix have been released on various posthumous albums. From the late 1990s though 2022, Billy took part in a variety of official Hendrix tribute concerts and tours.
Cox will celebrate his 84th birthday on Saturday, October 18.
(Photo by J. Anthony Martinez; Courtesy of Billy Cox)
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