Jimi Hendrix, Quincy Jones and Macklemore’s Garfield High Roots

Musician Jimi Hendrix, Record Producer Quincy Jones and Hip-Hop Artist Macklemore span three generations of popular music. The trio also shared the same formative Seattle high school, Garfield High. Hendrix would never graduate. He eventually enlisted in the army to avoid a stolen car conviction. Macklemore was known as Ben Haggerty when he attended the school. Garfield High was opened in 1920 and then called East High School. It has long been considered a cornerstone of Seattle’s Central District, the concentration of the city’s black population. Their music department has consistently earned national recognition and awards. Of the three music industry names, Quincy Jones has been given precedence. The school’s performance auditorium is named in his honor. Another Seattle icon, actor Bruce Lee, attended Edison Technical High School, which has since been demolished.