News

Jimi Hendrix to Feature on Washington Innovation Coin

Jimi Hendrix will stand for Washington state in the U.S. Mint American Innovation $1 Coin Program, after Governor Bob Ferguson chose the guitarist as the state's honoree.

The program began in 2019 and celebrates pioneering ideas and the people behind them across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. Four commemorative $1 coins appear each year through 2032, and Washington's coin is due for release in 2029.

Ferguson made his pick from recommendations put forward by an Innovation Coin Advisory Committee set up by Washington State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti. The panel looked at public submissions and consulted history experts, then narrowed the field to five finalists for the Governor.

Ferguson called Washington one of the nation's most innovative states and said choosing a single example from it was hard. In his view, Hendrix's groundbreaking work on the guitar and his strong Washington roots make him a fitting representative.

Hendrix was born in Seattle in 1942 and changed the electric guitar forever, bringing feedback into the mainstream, blending blues with psychedelia and helping to shape the course of rock, metal and funk. He entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and Rolling Stone named him the greatest guitarist of all time in 2023.

Janie L. Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix, L.L.C., welcomed the news. She described the honor of seeing him on a $1 coin that represents Washington's innovative spirit as extraordinary, recalling that he called himself a West Coast Seattle Boy – a magic boy – and shared that magic with the world through his music and imagination. His creativity, she added, changed music forever and still inspires listeners of every generation.

Design work and consultations with the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee come next, with the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury giving the final approval.

Photo: Music-News
Source: Muzland
Added by Frank
6 views