Jimi Hendrix Way Proposed For NYC Street

Share This:

Hendrix’s presence is still felt at the studio he built

A campaign is underway to co-name the portion of Manhattan’s West 8th Street, where the iconic Electric Lady Studios is located, as Jimi Hendrix Way.

New York has long had a tradition of awarding honorary street names to many of its most famous residents—others include concert promoter Bill Graham, jazz giant Miles Davis, and the Ramones. You can sign the Hendrix petition on the website.

The studio in New York’s Greenwich Village was a basement space that had been The Village Barn, a country and western nightclub, and then later a rock club, Generations. Hendrix had bought it to start his own music venue but instead installed the first artist-owned recording studio there.

The cutting and control rooms were designed by now-renowned studio architect and acoustician John Storyk. Its interior and decor were created with the comfort of musicians in mind. Electric Lady Studios‘ money-saving mission went mostly out the window as Hendrix insisted that the studio have the best equipment and the ideal design touches.

On August 26, 1970, Hendrix hosted the opening party for such classic rock stars as Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton and Ron Wood. Hendrix only got to spend about four weeks recording at Electric Lady as it was in the final stages of construction. The day after its opening he did one final session there, then flew the following day to London, where he died some three weeks later.

As the petition’s website notes: “Jimi Hendrix’s cultural impact on New York’s Greenwich Village is immeasurable. For almost 50 years, music’s most celebrated recordings have been produced right here on West 8th Street at Electric Lady Studios – the facility Hendrix himself created in 1970. From Patti Smith, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, and the Rolling Stones to Lorde, Frank Ocean, St. Vincent and Adele, Hendrix’s inspiration and influence is still felt to this day.”

Although many of New York City’s independent rock recording studios have closed in recent years due in part to the digital recording revolution, Electric Lady has survived.