Jimi Hendrix Childhood Home — Seattle

2603 South Washington Street in the Leschi neighbourhood of Seattle is one of the childhood addresses associated with Jimi Hendrix, who was born in Seattle on 27 November 1942 and grew up in various neighbourhoods of the city. Hendrix's early childhood was difficult — his mother Lucille died when he was 15, his father Al was frequently absent during his early years, and the family moved repeatedly between various addresses in central Seattle. He attended Washington Middle School and then Garfield High School, where he played guitar in school bands and absorbed the music that would shape his style.

Seattle in the 1950s was a city with a lively jazz and R&B scene, and Hendrix absorbed music from every direction — blues records, church music, jazz on the radio, and the rock and roll that was emerging from the South and Midwest. He taught himself guitar on an acoustic, then an electric when his father could afford one. After a stint in the US Army's 101st Airborne Division, he began working as a session guitarist and sideman, moving through Nashville, New York, and eventually London, where he was 'discovered' by former Animals bassist Chas Chandler in 1966.

The Washington Street address is a private residence. Seattle has increasingly claimed Hendrix with pride — MoPOP (Museum of Pop Culture), designed by Frank Gehry and built at the base of the Space Needle, houses a permanent Hendrix collection that is one of the most comprehensive in the world, and is the primary Seattle destination for Hendrix pilgrims. A Jim Hendrix statue also stands near the corner of Pine Street and Broadway in Capitol Hill.