Hendrix Found in Seattle

The 10,000 fans who visit Seattle each year, looking to catch the vibes of the late guitarist, are frequently disappointed. Jimi Hendrix was born and raised in Seattle and now is buried there, but until recently there were few public acknowledgments of his connection to the city.

According to a Reuters article, this is changing. Although there still are no markers for his childhood home and high school, there are now two more pilgrimage sites for the Hendrix faithful.

Earlier this year, Hendrix' family built a new tomb at his burial site, in the Greenwood Memorial Park & Cemetery in nearby Renton. Its "granite walkways, multicolored marble and benches for visitors" are a real upgrade from the frequently muddy, littered state visitors once encountered. Hendrix died in London in 1970, of a drug overdose.

In Seattle itself the Experience Music Project, a music museum built by Paul Allen (the other Microsoft billionaire and a longtime Hendrix memorabilia collector), has expanded its coverage with its revamped Hendrix Gallery. The new gallery, twice the size of the previous installation, features artwork Hendrix made as a child, family letters and photos, some of his instruments (smashed and intact), stage costumes, album artwork, and interactive music demonstrations.

Hendrix' half-sister Janie told Reuters, "It's an honor that people from all over the world travel here to visit Jimi… It's wonderful for people to experience and re-experience the music that was part of their lives."

Read the Reuters story at Excite.com or Yahoo UK

Visit the "official" Jimi Hendrix site or a fan site

Check out the Experience Music Project in Seattle

Read a Seattle Post-Intelligencer review of the EMP's new gallery