A Greenwich Village street is about to carry one of the most revered names in music history. On June 10 at 11 a.m., New York City will officially co-name West 8th Street Jimi Hendrix Way, honoring the guitarist and cultural icon just a block from the historic Electric Lady Studios he founded. The ceremony, pushed back from February 24 after inclement weather, lands at the southeast corner of Sixth Avenue and West 8th Street.
NYC District 2 Council Member Harvey Epstein leads the co-naming, spearheaded by the Hendrix family-owned Experience Hendrix, L.L.C., headed by Janie Hendrix, alongside musician and writer Jeff Slate. The day doubles as the public launch of a national education partnership with Stevie Van Zandt’s TeachRock, expanding a library of more than 500 free, standards-aligned lessons that teach history, social studies, language arts and other core subjects through music and popular culture.
The lineup at the ceremony reads like a celebration of the music itself. Joining Epstein are TeachRock founder Stevie Van Zandt, Experience Hendrix President and CEO Janie Hendrix, Grammy-winning Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, songwriter and performer Valerie Simpson, CBS Orchestra guitarist Felicia Collins, and producer and engineer Eddie Kramer, who worked closely with Hendrix and helped conceptualize Electric Lady Studios.
The centerpiece of the partnership is a new multimedia Hendrix curriculum for middle and high school students. The lesson, Jimi Hendrix: Rock’s Trailblazing Innovator and Influential Guitarist, traces his path from Blues and R&B roots to a revolutionary impact on rock, sound design and live performance. Students dig into how he reshaped creative identity and why his influence still lands more than 50 years on.
There’s real craft behind the classroom tools. The lesson was co-developed with educator and musician John Anthony, and it features exclusive archival footage from Experience Hendrix, including Hendrix’s legendary 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival performance. TeachRock teamed with NYU’s MusEdLab to build interactive tools that let students experiment with the guitar effects and sonic innovations that defined his signature sound.
Epstein framed the tribute around the neighborhood’s history of culture, arts and activism, calling Hendrix a groundbreaking musician and a powerful voice for peace, racial equity and social justice. Van Zandt put it plainly, saying Hendrix didn’t just play guitar, he reimagined what art could be, and TeachRock wants students to feel that same sense of possibility.
Janie Hendrix connected the project straight to the family’s mission, describing her father’s music as a gateway for young people to connect with history, creativity and their own potential.
The free lesson is available now at teachrock.org as part of TeachRock’s curriculum library, aligned with National Standards for Music Education, National Core Arts Standards, Social Studies standards and Common Core State Standards.
Event Details:
What: Official West 8th Street Co-Naming Ceremony Honoring Jimi Hendrix
When: Wednesday, June 10, 2026 | 11:00 a.m.
Where: Corner of West 8th Street and Sixth Avenue, New York City
Who: Council Member Harvey Epstein, Stevie Van Zandt, Janie Hendrix, Vernon Reid, Valerie Simpson, Felicia Collins, local TeachRock educators and students