The Hendrix Legacy: In Numbers

Born James Marshall, guitarist Jimi Hendrix arguably had one of the biggest impacts on American music to date. It only took the Washingtonian four years to cement his legacy in the rock ‘n’ roll annals.

Hendrix sadly died in 1970, becoming a member of the mythical 27 Club, along with Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and modern crooner Amy Winehouse.

Still, some fifty years after his death, the “Little Wing” and “Voodoo Chile” singer remains in the headlines due to an ongoing dispute about his estate. This brings us to the specifics of his career or, even more specifically, the numbers.

Summer of Love

According to the CelebrityNetWorth website, Jimi’s contribution to music earned the artist just $20,000 – or $150,000 today when adjusted for inflation. That seemingly low figure has much to do with his short time on this earth.

By 1994, that figure had ballooned to $80m and just south of $200m by the 2020s.

Like many departed rockstars, Jimi’s portfolio now includes more than just music. Hendrix’s material has appeared in at least eight video games, with “Purple Haze” and Guitar Hero: World Tour creating an obvious partnership.

Bits of Hendrix’s discography have also appeared in Spec Ops: The Line (“1983…”) and Gran Turismo 3 (“Stone Free”).

More recently, Jimi’s team has arranged for his songs and likeness to appear in the casino, in a slot machine. Jimi Hendrix: Online Slot features cartoonish imagery of the guitarist, alongside his 1968 Fender Stratocaster Izabella, reportedly, the inspiration for the song of the same name.

Playable at the NJ online casino PlayStar, this 5×4 reel game offers players a dream-like backdrop with icons from 1967’s Summer of Love on the gameboard, like flowers and the peace symbol. It’s one of several slots dedicated to artists, alongside Motorhead and Guns ‘n’ Roses.

Fans can find these simple experiences on smartphones or with their desktop browser.

Are You Experienced

Even though his career pre-dated the modern obsession with cataloging everything, a vast amount of data about Hendrix’s popularity exists online. Oddly enough, more than half of Jimi’s albums appeared posthumously.

Hendrix’s 1967 debut Are You Experienced shifted 9.2m copies, closely followed by Axis: Bold As Love (4.7m), Electric Ladyland (7.7m), and Band of Gypsys (4.7m). The dominance of singles over albums in the 1960s ensured that many of Jimi’s songs were “orphans”, though, having no album.

ChartMasters indicates that this surplus of singles is responsible for more than 500 compilations of the artist’s material and the five records released after his death. These are First Rays of the New Rising Sun and South Saturn Delta, both of which hit shelves in 1997.

Valleys of Neptune (2010), People, Hell, and Angels (2013), and 2018’s Both Sides of the Sky complete the “official” portion of Hendrix’s later discography. Sales have fallen with each release, down from 925,000 in 1997 to 220,000 in 2018.

Yet, as evidenced by Jimi’s inclusion in modern media types, like casino games, the legendary guitar still lives on in the public consciousness.

Featured Image: Jimi Hendrix – Creative Commons

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Tags: Jimi Hendrix, music collection

About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.