Hard Rock is Honored with Hendrix Guitar

By Mike Sobiloff

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The Times Square Hard Rock Café received a classic guitar owned by Jimi Hendrix, as a reward for exemplary service, Tuesday.

The guitar, owned by, Hendrix, the legendary guitarist and singer of the Jimi Hendrix Experience is part of the “Top of the Rock” awards program. The award is a global effort by the Hard Rock Café to reward exemplary branches of the restaurant. A Café that is awarded must show strong ties to the community, while having unique sales accomplishments and drawing top performance artists. It is granted to six company owned and six franchise Hard Rock Cafés each year.

The New York café is a leader for the company’s “Save the Planet” motto. The restaurant uses recycled paper products, energy efficient lighting, and environmentally safe cleaning products, while donating cooking grease to Tri-State Bio Diesel. Over the past few years, the café has hosted a live television broadcast of the CBS Early Show with the Jonas Brothers, the Musicians on Call benefit concert with singer Seal, and many different national touring acts.

“This is a great honor for us,” said David Miller, the director of operations at the New York Hard Rock. “We are committed to serving the community as well as doing our part to help the environment and setting a standard for all Hard Rock Cafes. We will proudly display this guitar in the heart of our restaurant.”

The guitar was played by Hendrix on the Dick Cavett Show in 1969, and will be on display at the restaurant for the next two months. The signature white Gibson SG is accompanied by a plaque explaining its significance, and detailing the many places it has traveled since 1969. Before making its way to New York, it was on display at the Hard Rock in Paris. It will remain in the restaurant for two months.

“This is one of the most valuable items that travels around Hard Rocks, and receiving it is a great honor,” said Kristen Hauser, the assistant account executive working with the Hard Rock Café. “Along with the original Eric Clapton guitar, which was the first piece of memorabilia that the Hard Rock Café received, and Ace Frehley’s smoking Gibson Les Paul from the 1996 KISS reunion tour, this guitar is the most prestigious.”

The Hard Rock New York will also be inducted in the company’s “Performance Hall of Fame” next month. All recipients of the “Top of the Rock” award are inducted in the corporate offices in Orlando. The branch will receive 300 limited-edition pins modeled after the Hall of Fame trophy. Those pins will be sold in store in the restaurant.

DHL delivers all “Top of the Rock” pieces around the world, as per a special agreement with the Hard Rock Cafe. “DHL has taken the utmost care with this guitar, and all of the “Top of the Rock” pieces,” explained Richard Coppola, a sales manager with DHL. “Because of its value to DHL, the Hard Rock Café, and the general public, it was given top priority as it was shipped in, and it will continue to be guarded closely as long as it is in our care Obviously, Jimi Hendrix is an icon, and so this is a great honor for both DHL and for the Hard Rock Café.”

The guitar was sealed in a metal case, with a plexiglas screen so that it may be viewed. It will stay in the case for the duration of its stay in New York. DHL handled all of the documentation for the guitar, until it reached the restaurant where Miller signed for it.

Fans lined up at the Hard Rock to see this guitar, and its symbolic delivery. Adrian Villalobos, a musician from New Jersey said “Hendrix was and will always be an icon. Getting to see this guitar means a lot to me and anyone who is serious about music. The things that he did with it changed the world forever, and having it in New York makes me very proud.”

Others were excited to catch an unplanned glimpse when they arrived to have lunch. Kaoru Ayabe, a student from Philadelphia did not know that the guitar would be there, but was excited to see it when he arrived. “I was blown away when I walked in and saw all this press huddled around a guitar. When I found out what it was, I couldn’t believe it. I’m really lucky that I decided to come in here today of all days.”

“Not only is this special because it’s a guitar that Hendrix played, but it’s special because it’s an SG,” explained John Shmergel, who operates a popular music networking site C3.tv. “Hendrix almost exclusively played Fender Stratocasters, but somehow, someone found a Gibson SG that he actually had in rotation. That’s like having the shoes Alice Cooper uses to go golfing, but much, much better.” Shmergel continued to explain that Hendrix made a lasting mark on the music world saying “Any guitar of his is as important to rock music as anything. The Hard Rock Café should be honored to have it.”

Hendrix became popular in the 1960s when he wrote songs like “Purple Haze,” “All Along the Watchtower,” and “Foxy Lady.” He was known for his flamboyant stage presence and his wild onstage antics. Often, he would play his guitar with his teeth or behind his head, and on occasion, he would light it on fire, right in front of the audience. He died tragically in 1970, of drug-related problems, at the age of 27.

Next month, a franchise will be awarded “Top of the Rock” and will display the Ace Frehley signature guitar.