Jimi Hendrix Park is one of several tributes to the late guitarist
There are some musicians over the years who are so iconic that we can hardly stop doing tributes to them and recognizing their work. Jimi Hendrix certainly falls under this category. Though he tragically died at just 27 years old and only a few years into his musical prime, Hendrix is considered to be a rock legend, and perhaps the most unique and influential guitarist in history. He’s never really gone off the radar of rock and pop fans. But this summer, nearly 47 years after Hendrix’s death, there appears to be a surge in tributes to his work and greatness.
The most noteworthy of these tributes is Jimi Hendrix Park, a public Seattle establishment that’s been rumored for years but has recently opened up. It’s designed almost as an outdoor museum showcasing some of the themes and images associated with Hendrix (think purple pathways and purple ornamental guitars), and it’s also meant to encourage live performance. The city of Seattle is particularly proud of Hendrix given that he was born there, and the park is its ultimate homage.
While the park is perhaps the most impressive recent tribute to Hendrix, however, it’s not the only one. Another cultural shout-out to Hendrix’s greatness illustrates just how far and wide the tributes reach. In this case, it’s actually an online video game, and more specifically a themed slot reel. It’s one of several games based on pop culture (alongside titles on everything from Guns N’ Roses to South Park), but it’s all about Jimi. It features music inspired by the rock star, as well as popular imagery similar to that you might find in the park. This game didn’t come out this summer, but it remains a popular choice for digital slot players.
But you don’t have to play casino slots or visit Seattle to enjoy some of the recent attention being paid to Hendrix. We’ve also seen some very interesting write-ups about his career surfacing. In late June, Hendrix graced the cover of MOJO magazine in an issue that sought to explore his “revolution” in 27 songs. It was meant to commemorate his breakthrough into popular music in 1967, exactly 50 years later, and carried a focus on the extraordinary talent he displayed and the untapped potential it indicated.
As another commemoration of his breakthrough, CNN published an interesting article, though this one focused largely on images. The exhibition professed to showcase unseen photos of his greatest performances, including playing in an orchestra pit, singing to massive festival crowds, and engaging in behind-the-scenes interviews. It’s actually a pretty stunning lineup of photos.
Altogether it’s a lot of tribute material 50 years after the legendary breakthrough. And it’s certainly enough to make you want to boot up your music service of choice and listen to some of his best tracks all over again.
