Ahead of the 50th anniversary, Jimi Hendrix Tributes just keep coming.
The most interesting thing about looking back on artists from previous eras is often seeing which ones have withstood the test of time, or even which ones have become bigger than they ever were.
A few obvious names come to mind: your Beatles and Rolling Stones, your Bob Dylans, etc. There may not be a more interesting example than Jimi Hendrix though, who seems to be a celebrated year in and year out, despite the fact that he passed away in 1970, at the height of his musical powers.
This has been particularly clear, not just through the fact that Hendrix still exerts clear influence over modern artists across a variety of genres, nor through the seemingly constant presence of his biggest hits on film and television soundtracks.
Rather, Hendrix’s enduringly special place in music history has been made all the more clear through several different tributes in recent years – seemingly, though not explicitly leading up to the 50th anniversary of his death in 2020.
A Street In Manhattan
This actually hasn’t officially happened yet, but it’s been in the news for quite some time now that residents of Manhattan are petitioning to get Hendrix his own street.
More specifically, they’re looking for the city to rename a stretch along a single block in Greenwich Village, on Eighth Street.
This is an area where many believe Hendrix briefly lived, and the hope of those behind the petition is that the renaming would preserve some culture in an increasingly gentrified neighbourhood. But it would also be an incredible tribute to Hendrix to have a name in the world’s greatest city named in his honour.
A Game Online
If you’ve ever spent time at a casino site online, you know a lot of things are done to keep you interested: matched deposits, special bonuses, and in some cases special perks for your birthday
These sites are endlessly creative, and in recent years this has started to show up in their game selections also. Casino sites use all sorts of themes for their game selections now, and accordingly, a few musical slots have emerged – with a Jimi Hendrix one being perhaps the best of the bunch. It’s an unusual form for a tribute to take, but it’s a game seen and enjoyed by thousands, and it’s packed with the artist’s top hits.
A Park In Seattle
Maybe the nicest and most meaningful tribute we’ve seen to Hendrix, at least recently, was the naming and really the entire design of a park in his honour in his native Seattle, Washington. It’s a small park, but one designed specifically as a place for people to go and play music in public.
It’s hard to imagine the artist himself wanting or imagining a better memorial, and the hope is that it will help to foster a continuing, vibrant music scene in Seattle.
A Post Office, Too
Most recently, Seattle added to its own collection of Hendrix memorials, and the like, by naming a post office after the iconic artist. The decision was unanimously approved by Washington State officials, meaning that yet another official corner of Hendrix’s hometown now bears his name.
It’s only fitting, and it’s the latest in a series of tributes that keep the artist’s spirit alive in a way that doesn’t happen for many people after they’re gone.