Jimi Hendrix, by name of James Marshall Hendrix, originally John Allen Hendrix, (born November 27, 1942, Seattle, Washington, U.S.—died September 18, 1970, London, England), American rock guitarist, singer, and composer who fused American traditions of blues, jazz, rock, and soul with techniques of British avant-garde rock to redefine the electric guitar in his own image.
Though his active career as a featured artist lasted a mere four years, Hendrix altered the course of popular music and became one of the most successful and influential musicians of his era. An instrumentalist who radically redefined the expressive potential and sonic palette of the electric guitar, he was the composer of a classic repertoire of songs ranging from ferocious rockers to delicate, complex ballads. He also one of the most charismatic in-concert performers of his generation. Moreover, he was a visionary who collapsed the genre boundaries of rock, soul, blues, and jazz and an iconic figure whose musical genius still affects rock music today.
Jimi was interred in a family plot at Greenwood Memorial Park in Renton. His grave was marked by a simple headstone with an etching of a Fender Stratocaster guitar, his instrument of choice (though the guitar pictured is right-handed, and Jimi adapted his to play left-handed), and the epitaph “Forever in Our Hearts.”. At the time, this basic grave was all his father, Al Hendrix, could afford.
Even in death, Jimi's popularity grew. In the 1990s, a generation of young Seattle grunge musicians was inspired by his musical technique. Jimi's legacy instilled local pride, and fans regularly made pilgrimages to his gravesite. The cemetery's management began worrying about damage to nearby graves from all the foot traffic.
To ease concerns and to vastly expand the family's burial space (since the extended Hendrix family had significantly grown beyond the original plot's five graves), in 1999 Al Hendrix announced plans for a new memorial to his son, bigger and more fitting to his iconic status. Al envisioned such a memorial for a long time, but only gained the financial means to build it in the mid-1990s after acquiring the rights to Jimi's music. Jimi's body was exhumed and relocated underneath the new granite dome.
Designed by architect Mark Barthelemy, the memorial was constructed over the next few years by Cold Spring Granite of Minnesota. It was dedicated, still unfinished, in June 2002. It features a granite dome almost 30-foot high, supported by three pearl-grey granite columns trimmed in “rainbow” marble. The memorial also sports a granite-and-brass sundial alongside the main structure. Sadly, Al Hendrix had died 2 months earlier, having been in declining health. The memorial is free and open to all.
In order to log a "found " on this virtual cache, you must message me the following information:
1. On the inside face of each of the 3 columns supporting the dome you will see a bench of granite. On the upper face of each bench is inscribed some lyrics from Jimi's songs.Each bench contains lyrics from 1 song. Message me the name of any of the 3 songs from any of the 3 benches. This is the reason for the "D" rating of this cache, as the songs are not named, although each name is contained within the inscribed lyrics. If not familiar with Jimi's songs a simple internet search of those lyrics (hint) will provide an answer.
2. Also attach a picture of yourself to the log, not necessarily a face, but anything of a personal nature with Jimi's guitar. It is big and bronze!
When you have done these things go ahead and log this virtual. No need to wait for a response. If you dont comply you may find your log deleted.
Please be respectful of this site. This memorial is a gravesite, and there are other graves around it.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.