Expect heavy crosstown traffic in Greenwich Village later this month when the City of New York officially co-names West Eighth Street “Jimi Hendrix Way.” The sign will be affixed to the stretch of Eighth Street where Electric Lady Studios, the recording outpost Hendrix opened in 1970, is located. The ceremony will take place on the corner of West Eighth Street and Sixth Avenue at 11 a.m. on Feb. 24.
Speakers at the event will include Hendrix’s sister, Janie, musician Stevie Van Zandt, and NYC District 2 Council Member Harvey Epstein. Janie Hendrix, who is president and CEO of Experience Hendrix LLC, led the charge for the co-naming alongside Van Zandt, acting on behalf of his TeachRock nonprofit educational initiative, and writer Jeff Slate.
TeachRock is launching a new lesson, Jimi Hendrix: Rock’s Trailblazing Innovator and Influential Guitarist, which examines the late artist’s blues and R&B roots, for the occasion. The lesson uses exclusive archival footage from Experience Hendrix and expert interviews.
“This collaboration speaks to the heart of our mission — carrying on Jimi’s legacy through education,” Janie said in a statement. “His music is a powerful gateway for young minds to connect with history, creativity, and their own potential.”
“Jimi Hendrix didn’t just play guitar — he reimagined what art could be,” Van Zandt said. “I want TeachRock to transport students into that same sense of possibility and discovery I felt the first time I saw Jimi perform. His story, lyrics, and sound remind young people that creativity has no limits.”
Hendrix and his manager, Michael Jeffrey, bought the site of a former nightclub on West Eighth Street in 1968 with the hopes of opening a concert venue. But recording engineer Eddie Kramer and studio manager Jim Marron convinced Hendrix to use the space as a studio. Electric Lady opened on Aug. 26, 1970, with a grand-opening party attended by Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ron Wood, and Patti Smith, according to the studio’s website. Tragically, Hendrix died weeks later, on Sept. 18, having barely recorded at the studio. The studio has since gone on to host sessions by the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Smith, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift, among many others.
