NEW YORK - There's a purple haze floating over West 8th Street.

Residents and businesses want to have a block in Greenwich Village renamed to honor Jimi Hendrix.

The rock and roll legend spent a lot of time performing at cafes and clubs in the neighborhood at the start of his career.

He also opened a recording studio on West 8th Street shortly before his death in 1970.

While support for the name-change is growing, organizers say it's not as simple as putting up a sign.

"We have almost 20,000 signatures in New York City, we need to increase that number as well. And we need to propose it to the community board too, and that goes to the city, and then they approve it hopefully. But we have a very strong case. We have a lot of international support. I think that with the people we have behind us, I think we can be successful," said Storm Ritter of Storm Ritter Studio.

The campaign is collecting signatures for it's name-change petition at jimihendrixway.com.


Photo of Jimi Hendrix above courtesy Warner Brothers.