Jimi Hendrix’s legacy immortalised on a limited-edition $1 coin
Legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix is headed for legal tender. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has chosen the Seattle-born guitarist as the state’s submission to the US Mint’s American Innovation $1 Coin Program, scheduled for release in 2029.
The programme honours innovators and innovations from across the country, covering every state plus Washington DC and the US territories. Most of the coins so far have marked inventions and achievements, such as the lightbulb, the telephone, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Space Shuttle. A smaller number have honoured people, among them Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, agricultural scientist George Washington Carver and civil rights activist Septima Clarke. Hendrix appears to be the first musician in that group.
EDITOR’S PICK: Find out why we gave the new Fender American Professional Jaguar an 8/10 in our review…
Washington’s pick came out of a public submissions process run by state Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti, who acts as the state’s liaison to the Mint. An advisory committee of historians and innovation experts unanimously approved five finalists for the governor to choose from. Alongside Hendrix, the shortlist included Billy Frank JR. and treaty rights, Indigenous reef-net fishing and ecosystem management, Bruce Lee and martial arts and the Medic One paramedic programme.
“Washington is one of the most innovative states in the nation,” says Governor Ferguson. “Picking just one example from the most innovative state in the nation was difficult, but Jimi Hendrix’s historic innovation on guitar and his deep roots in Washington make him a great choice to represent our state.”
Naturally, Hendrix’s family has welcomed the news. “To have Jimi honoured on a United States $1 coin representing Washington’s spirit of innovation is an extraordinary honour,” says Janie Hendrix, Jimi’s sister and President and CEO of Experience Hendrix. She recalled Jimi describing himself as “a West Coast Seattle Boy – a magic boy,” who shared this magic through his musical imagination and creativity that continues to inspire new generations.
Nothing yet is final and the design is still to come. It will go through development, consultation with the US Commission of Fine Arts and public review by the CItizens Coinage Advisory Committee, before the Secretary of the Treasury makes the final call.
For guitarists, the choice makes sense. Hendrix helped redefine what the instrument could do, pushing feedback, fuzz and wah from novelty to expressive tools. He also showed what a Stratocaster could do in the hands of someone willing to play it upside down and left handed…
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
