Experience Music Project and Experience Hendrix, LLC; New, Larger Hendrix Gallery Celebrates the Life and Music of Seattle's Own Jimi Hendrix.

Entertainment Editors

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 22, 2003

EMP and Experience Hendrix LLC Collaborate to Expand EMP's

Most Popular Exhibit

Experience Music Project (EMP) and Experience Hendrix L.L.C. are pleased to announce a new major exhibit: Jimi Hendrix, which will open to the public on June 7, 2003.

The original Hendrix Gallery, which debuted at EMP during the grand opening in 2000, showcases the largest collection of Hendrix memorabilia in the world, including many items donated by EMP Founder Paul Allen. Jimi Hendrix will be a reconceived and expanded version of the Hendrix Gallery, featuring many of these original items in addition to many rare and iconic musical and family artifacts and memorabilia loaned by Experience Hendrix. Jimi Hendrix is curated by Jim Fricke and Jacob McMurray of EMP in partnership with Janie Hendrix and Bob Hendrix at Experience Hendrix.

"We are pleased to be a partner with EMP for the expansion of the Hendrix gallery," says Jimi's sister Janie Hendrix, President of Experience Hendrix. "Jimi would be honored to be recognized in such an impressive way in his hometown."

"We are excited to collaborate with Experience Hendrix in this creative effort to broaden one of EMP's most important and popular exhibits," says Bob Santelli, Director and CEO of EMP. "This is the first time that Hendrix family artifacts have been displayed at EMP and the new exhibit promises to engage Hendrix and music fans alike."

The confluence of EMP artifacts and loans from the collection of Experience Hendrix will create a powerful exhibit, lending a highly personalized and human look into the life of one of the greatest legends of rock and roll. Jimi's Dad, Al Hendrix, often expressed his desire to loan and display these items in Seattle. Al passed away in 2002, but the family company he started, Experience Hendrix, is delighted about his wish coming to fruition in this new exhibit at EMP.

Jimi Hendrix will be filled with rare artifacts that illustrate both the personal and superstar aspects of the guitar hero, including the stage costumes from the Isle of Wight and Rainbow Bridge, the guitar Jimi played at Woodstock, guitars he smashed at the Monterey Pop Festival, London's Saville Theatre and Royal Albert Hall, his Marshall amplifier and effects pedals. Personal belongings consist of Jimi's handwritten lyrics, drawings and artifacts from his childhood and early musical career. More items loaned by Jimi's family include personal items such as photos, letters, effects and traveling items from three generations of the Hendrix family.

Many of the items included in this new exhibit were on display for four months at Paris' Cite de la Musique. The Hendrix exhibit in France, dubbed Jimi Hendrix Backstage, was attended by thousands and received rave reviews from fans and media alike: "Beside its attractive scenic investment that the public will be able to see and hear through (new) images ...this exposure, thanks to personal documents lent by (his) family, is conceived like an invitation to go beyond the spectacle, to enter slides of the life of Hendrix, to measure the force and the originality of (him)."- Album Rock, October 2002 (France).

About The Exhibit -

The exhibit guides visitors through three major periods of Jimi Hendrix's life and work -- Childhood Influences/Pre-Experience, Hendrix On Stage, and Jimi Backstage.

Childhood Influences/Pre-Experience describes Hendrix's childhood in the Pacific Northwest and his early fascination with art and music, as illustrated through many personal and never-before-seen drawings, photographs, and other artifacts from Jimi's youth. These artifacts tell the story of a typical youth of the time, someone that had similar experiences and dreams as many others, who used his creativity and aptitude for music to create a life that propelled him to superstardom. The exhibit details Hendrix's family life, including: pictures of his Grandparents in their vaudeville days; a collection of hat pins used by his Grandmother in her traveling suitcase while performing; letters and photos of his father Al while in the military; photos and belongings of Jimi's while he served in the 101st Airborne Division; and various personal items. Jimi's early musical experiences are also chronicled -- his R&B days in Nashville and touring throughout the country on the Chitlin Circuit, his musical apprenticeship with Little Richard and the Isley Brothers, and his life-changing time in Greenwich Village.

Hendrix On Stage details the first steps of Jimi Hendrix's European experience, from the point of touchdown in Swinging London 1966, to befriending and interacting with musical giants such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, The Beatles, and The Who. The exhibit describes the formation of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, their first recording sessions, releases, and tours, focusing on legendary performances by Hendrix at Monterey, Newport, Woodstock, Rainbow Bridge, Isle of Wight, and others, confirming for all time the guitarist's legendary status.

Jimi Backstage explores Hendrix as a recording musician and songwriter, focusing on Jimi's excellence as a composer and creator of new sounds, illustrated in the exhibit by hands-on mixing and sound effects interactives, iconic artifacts and rare handwritten lyrics, many of which have never been displayed before. During this period Jimi expanded his musical horizons and wrote prolifically, producing a body of work that has continued to resonate long after his untimely death.

Jimi Hendrix details each step of the story, from the creative child growing up in 1950's Seattle to the superstar rock god of the psychedelic era and his patent impact on the face of modern music. This is a journey of creativity, drive, and desire for excellence, dealing with both the man and the myth surrounding one of the most famous musical personalities of all time.

About Experience Music Project

Experience Music Project provides dynamic, multifaceted, ever-changing experiences through new and exciting explorations of American popular music that both entertain and engage visitors in the creative process. It is a new kind of museum -- one that strives to reflect the essence of rock 'n' roll, its roots in jazz, soul, gospel, country, and the blues, as well as rock music's influence on hip-hop, punk, and other recent genres. Patrons can make their own music, see and learn about rare artifacts and memorabilia from EMP's collection of nearly 100,000 items, explore various musical milestones within unique interpretive exhibits, feel the power of the creative force by listening to musicians tell their own stories, and discover the joy of music in all its forms. Founded by investor and philanthropist Paul G. Allen, operating under the direction of co-founder Jody Patton, and designed by architect Frank O. Gehry, the 140,000-square-foot multicolored and "swoopy" museum rises up in the heart of Seattle at Seattle Center. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EMP is online at www.emplive.com.

About Experience Hendrix L.L.C.

Experience Hendrix is a family-owned company formed by Jimi's dad, Al Hendrix. Now overseen by Jimi's sister Janie Hendrix and their cousin Bob Hendrix, Experience Hendrix works to preserve and promote the legacy of Jimi Hendrix through education, music, and community involvement. For more information on Experience Hendrix events and news, visit their website at www.jimihendrix.com.