Scottsdale, AZ, USA, April 26, 2022 — Jimi Hendrix’s personally owned and studio played 1967 Fender Sunburst Stratocaster guitar, Hendrix’s handwritten working lyrics for the song Crosstown Traffic from his Electric Ladyland album, and a drum kit personally owned and played by the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins during their 2005 “In Your Honor” tour are just a few of the expected top lots in Iconic Auctions’ online-only Amazing Music Auction (Part III).
The auction features more than 500 lots of stage-used guitars, autographs and personal relics from many of the greatest names in rock ‘n’ roll history. The entire catalog is up for viewing and bidding now, at www.IconicAuctions.com. The sale closes on Saturday, April 30th, which is coming up quick, so collectors or anyone wanting to own a piece of rock history needs to log on.
The Hendrix owned and played 1967 Fender Sunburst Stratocaster guitar is the undisputed star lot of the auction. Hendrix played the guitar on the song Devil’s Children, recorded in 1967. It’s accompanied by a letter of provenance from Brian Levine, who manages the estate of Hendrix’s US Manager, Bob Levine, as well as his trusted long-time assistant Kathy Eberth (Mrs. Levine).
“There’s nothing more coveted in the music memorabilia market than a Jimi Hendrix guitar,” said Jeff Woolf of Iconic Auctions. “It’s a true honor to be able to represent one of Jimi’s guitars. With the market so robust at the moment it’ll be interesting to see where this one lands. It’s been a while since any Hendrix guitars have surfaced and we anticipate huge interest in this piece.”
Regarding Hendrix’s handwritten lyrics to the song Crosstown Traffic, Mr. Woolf said, “These are very rare and desirable, since you rarely see handwritten lyrics to published songs.” He added, “Jimi’s lyrics are coveted in any form, whether they are published or not. But the fact that these lyrics are for Crosstown Traffic —one of Jimi’s most popular songs—is huge. It’s been a while since any Hendrix lyrics of this magnitude have entered the market. It’ll be exciting to see where they end up.”
The Taylor Hawkins personally owned and played drum kit is especially newsworthy, as the late Foo Fighter passed away just last month. “We believe this is the first Taylor Hawkins drum kit to ever surface for sale in public,” Mr. Woolf said. “It also has a great story on how it came about and shows what a good guy he was. He was one of the biggest rock stars in the world, yet he was willing to donate his drum kit to an auction to help raise money for a Los Angeles homeless shelter. The video in the lot shows what a humble and kind man he really was.”
Lot 12 is the late Alice in Chains musician and lead singer Layne Staley’s personally owned copy of Alcohol Anonymous: The Big Book, with an extensive inscription to a friend. Staley notoriously had struggles with substance abuse, and he eventually died of an overdose.
“This is a really insightful piece as it shows a glimpse into a time when Staley was working a recovery program and keeping clean,” Mr. Woolf said. “His struggles with substance abuse were very private, and this lot showcases a better time when he was keeping clean. It’s just such a cool, deeply personal item where he’s sharing support to a friend in recovery.”
Lot 3 is a rare 1993 Nirvana promotional poster, signed by the full band – Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl. Cobain and Grohl have signed in black felt tip pen, while Novoselic has signed in silver paint pen. Geffen/DGC Records produced this oversized poster (24 inches by 36 inches) in support of Nirvana’s third and final studio album, In Utero, released in September 1993. The poster was “for promotional use only,” and was not available to the general public.
Lot 4 is Elvis Presley’s personally owned (and extensively worn) 1950s silver ID bracelet, from Graceland. The ID bracelet was part of a larger collection of jewelry given to Patsy Presley by her uncle, Vernon Presley, and was originally kept in Elvis’s bedroom jewelry box. The heavy-weight silver chain link bracelet, 7 ½ inches long, is engraved with “Elvis” and two stars on either side of his name. It’s accompanied by photos of Elvis wearing the bracelet and an LOA.
Lot 6 is an extensive love letter handwritten from prison in 1995 by the late rap artist Tupac Shakur. The five-page letter is penned entirely in Shakur’s hand and is written to an admirer named Simi Chouhan (Shakur would discontinue his relationship with Chouhan after his prison release in 1995). The letter offers a great look into the philosophy and mindset of Tupac during this formative time in his life. It covers a variety of topics, mainly his thoughts on love and life.
Lot 9 is Stevie Ray Vaughan’s personally owned and stage-used Tokai Stratocaster guitar. Tokai guitars and Stevie Ray Vaughan have a very interesting and short-lived history together. In the mid-1980s, Vaughan endorsed Tokai, but his agency, Classic Management, discouraged this endorsement. Over time the relationship soured and Stevie traded away all of his Tokais, but not before he took a key and scratched out the name “Tokai” on some of them (including this guitar).
Lot 26 is John Lennon and Neil Aspinall’s dual-signed publishing document for the Beatles song Everybody’s Got Something to Hide (Except Me and My Monkey), from the White Album. It’s the original 1968 publishing agreement between Maclen Music and Northern Songs for the rights to publish the song, one page, front and back, signed by Lennon in black felt tip marker and Aspinall in ball point pen. Lennon said the song was about his relationship with Yoko Ono.
Lot 30 is singer Johnny Cash’s personally owned and used Samsonite suitcase, the perfect relic from the I’ve Been Everywhere man. The black Samsonite hardshell travel suitcase was used by The Man in Black himself during the latter part of his career. It has a Johnny Cash Show tag attached and Cash himself has also handwritten his name, address and phone number on the outer shell in a silver metallic marker. He also labeled it “#1” (his primary suitcase for travel).
Lot 67 is a “Duke of York” vintage cardigan sweater personally owned and worn by the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. The sweater was personally gifted by Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, to her close friend and former Hole band webmaster, Brooke Barnett, in 1999. The sweater is well preserved and stands in excellent condition. It’s accompanied by a full letter from Ms. Barnett, which explains her association to Love, as well as supporting articles and documents.
Lot 80 is Prince’s personally owned “Love” symbol pendant necklace, measuring 12 ¼ inches in length, the symbol 1 ¼ inches by 1 ½ inches and bearing a 14k mark to the tip of the symbol. Whilst wearing this very necklace, Prince and first wife Mayte filmed themselves rehearsing the song Pope. It’s accompanied by a video of Prince wearing the Love Symbol that began his legal fight with Warner Bros in 1993, a printout of two screenshot images, and an LOA from Mayte.
For more info on the April 30 auction, visit www.iconicauctions.com.
