Jimi Hendrix may have passed away almost 50 years ago, but he is still influencing people all around the world. The American rock guitarist, singer and songwriter remains an extremely popular figure in the 21st century, and it is quite remarkable as his mainstream career lasted only four years. Here we look at some of the areas he’s still making a mark on today.
Fashion & Cinema
Just take a quick look around, and you will find Hendrix-inspired items – you know how popular flared trousers and silk bandanas are still today! A velvet smoking jacket once owned by him in the late 1960s was recently auctioned for as much as £8,000 in North Yorkshire, demonstrating just how much in demand he is still in 2017. For those who don’t have such a high budget to spend on Hendrix clothes, T-shirts bearing his effigy are still widely available.
The Seattle-born artist can also boast a lot of influence on contemporary movies. That song in Forrest Gump and Rush… yes, it was by Hendrix! The greatest guitarist of all time even got his own biopic, Jimi: All Is by My Side by John Ridley. It did not get raving reviews, but the fact that in 2013 a director decided to make a movie about someone who had passed away in 1970 tells volume.
Games
Hendrix changed music, fashion and culture in the 1960s, and today he is changing online gaming. Music video game BandFuse: Rock Legends and murder-mystery-oriented The Jimi Hendrix Case are just two of the games centred around the rock legend. His popularity is such that he even has a slot machine to his name.
The Jimi Hendrix slot game was created to entice fans of the guitarist and rock music at large. To celebrate the launch of the game, online casino bgo even decided to organise a gig and it was attended by the UK’s top bloggers. Guests were able to try the mobile version of the game, which is all about Hendrix with its psychedelic symbols, peace signs, hearts and, of course, guitars. It is not the first time that bgo taps into the craze for rock music as it also offers a slot machine based on mythical band Guns n Roses and another one about Shamrockers. For those who still can’t get enough of slots inspired by rock stars, Spin Genie and Slots-777 have a Motorhead slot machine.
“Voodoo Child B&W” (CC BY 2.0) by jbhthescots
Inspiration for Contemporary Musicians
The American guitarist passed away when he was only 27 years of age, but he seems to live on forever spiritually. What is fascinating about Hendrix’s music is that it resonates with people with all ages even today. According to Billboard, “All Along the Watchtower” is one of the most overplayed songs in movies. Nottingham musician Matt Tandy is using the Jimi Hendrix guitar pick to raise awareness about music helping people suffering mental health problems. As for veteran shock rocker Arthur Brown, he recently acknowledged the impact the American legend had on his career to Rolling Stone.
The world today is vastly different from the one in which Hendrix lived and made music, and one wonders what he would have made of things now. Would he have altered his music somewhat? Would the guitarist have been able to flourish in this age of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram? Would the social media actually have helped him reach a far bigger audience than he did in the 1960s? We will probably never know the answers to these questions, but it is clear as daylight to anyone that Jimi Hendrix is here to stay and will continue to influence pop culture, music in years to come.
