It’s Only Rock ’ n’ Roll (But I Like It)
Jimi Hendrix Drake Swissotel 440 Park Avenue New York, New York In April of 1968, Jimi Hendrix stayed here after being tossed out of the nearby Warwick Hotel. In his room (which cannot be identified at this time—anyone know?) he recorded a batch of songs including “Cherokee” and “Angel Mist.” This is also the hotel where Led Zeppelin’s gate receipts from their Madison Square Garden concerts were supposedly stolen in 1973, worth upwards of $200,000.
Electric Lady Studios 52 West 8th Street New York, New York 212-677-4700 In 1968, Jimi Hendrix was looking to buy a recording studio when he found the Generation Club on West 8th Street in the heart of Greenwich Village. After shelling out the $50,000 asking price, Hendrix turned it into a recording facility, becoming the first major artist to own and operate his own studio. Sadly, Jimi died within a month after the studio opened. In June 1997, the original, distinctive, curved brick facade entrance to Electric Lady Studios was demolished (the New York Landmark Society unsuccessfully attempted to halt the renovation of the building, which would have been eligible for landmark status in just three years).
Freedman’s Loans 1208 1st Avenue Seattle, Washington 206-622-3086 Jimi Hendrix’s father, Al, had once bought himself a saxophone from this pawnshop. Thirty years later, he bought his son, Jimi, his first guitar here. It’s still in business after all these years.
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