Jimi Hendrix, the world-famous electric guitarist whose innovative style forever shaped the rock-music landscape, was posthumously honored with a Washington state Medal of Merit at the Capitol on Tuesday.
Gov. Bob Ferguson noted that the medal honors those who’ve devoted a lifetime of service through medicine, advocacy, public service, literature and the arts. And Seattle-born Hendrix, the Democrat said, is a “music legend.”
“Look, I’m a believer in being precise about vocabulary, OK?” Ferguson said during a ceremony attended by state lawmakers and officials in the Legislative Building’s Reception Room. “I try not to say something is unique unless it is truly unique, like one-of-a-kind. A legend — a legend — probably does not do justice to Jimi Hendrix.”
Previous Medal of Merit winners include the Native American treaty-rights activist and environmental leader Billy Frank, Jr. and glass-sculpture guru Dale Chihuly.
Hendrix was born in the Emerald City in November 1942 and died at 27 in September 1970. His work has been described by music critics as having redefined the electric guitar and its sonic potential and palette.
He soared to stardom in the 1960s with hits like “Purple Haze,” “Foxy Lady” and “Hey Joe,” and the six-stringer’s captivating live performances further sealed his idol status.
Ferguson said at Tuesday’s ceremony that when he travels the world and people learn he’s from Washington, they often talk about Hendrix. The late rock mage also draws tourists to the state.
State Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, a Seattle Democrat, noted that Hendrix was from the 37th Legislative District, which she represents. She said he went from playing air guitar on a broom as a kid to using a one-string ukulele, then graduating to acoustic guitar.
Playing Woodstock in 1969, Hendrix launched into a revolutionary rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Santos explained. At the Monterey Pop Festival two years prior, he famously set his guitar ablaze.
Hendrix’s sartorial style also set trends in the fashion world, Santos said, and he earned the respect and admiration of contemporaries like Eric Clapton and the Beatles.
During Hendrix’s 27 years, he lived more than “some of us could ever aspire to live,” Santos said.
“And the truth is, this world could not contain Jimi,” she continued. “He was an artist who influenced music, who influenced style, who influenced generations.”
Hendrix is buried at the Greenwood Memorial Park & Funeral Home in Renton.