Over 1,000 items of rock history and exclusive music collections are to be sold across the two-day blockbuster auction
This November, Julien’s is hitting the road to Music City with the return of Played, Worn & Torn II, the industry-leading entertainment auction house’s seminal music memorabilia event taking place Wednesday, November 20th, and Thursday, November 21st, live at The Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum at The Historic Municipal Auditorium in Nashville and online. Julien’s announcement kicked off with a preview today at Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, New York, of their public exhibition featuring many of the highlights of the auction running through November 3rd, as well as an exhibition at The Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum at The Historic Municipal Auditorium that will run up until the auction.
Headlining are some of the biggest music acts of all time and their arsenal of instruments, wardrobe, gear, and other iconography crowned their success and charted their rise to the top from the likes of The Beatles, Prince, Madonna, The Band, Eddie Van Halen, Johnny Cash, Freddie Mercury, Guns N’ Roses, Eric Clapton, Dolly Parton, Ronnie Wood, Oasis, George Michael, Billie Eilish, Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, 3 Doors Down, Indigo Girls, and more.
Joining alongside this hall of fame auction’s previously announced headliner–George Harrison’s groundbreaking early Beatles era Futurama guitar that was played on over 324 legendary Beatles performances at the Cavern Club, The Beatles’ first studio recordings, 1960-61 Hamburg Tour and The Beatles’ last visit to Hamburg in 1962 estimated at $600,000-$800,000. There will also be a significant guitar from a fellow rock titan, Prince. The 1985 Sadowsky Telecaster style electric guitar made for The Purple One in metallic purple finish with floral artwork by Wayne Jarrett is an iconic artifact of Prince’s collection of most coveted axes with an estimated $200,000-$400,000.
The guitar from his post-Purple Rain tour days appeared in Prince’s 1985 “America” music video filmed in Nice, France and stage played during the 1986 Parade Tour as seen in the photographs and footage of Prince playing the guitar, as well as in the hands of guitarist, Wendy Melvoin and featured on the cover of Duane Tudahl’s book Prince and the Parade and Sign O’ The Times Era Studio Sessions: 1985 and 1986. Prince guitar historian John Woodland comments, “Out of all six guitars Sadowsky made for Prince, the purple floral one saw the most use…” At some point before the Lovesexy Tour in 1988, the guitar came into the possession of singer and percussionist Sheila E. In a letter addressed to Sheila E. in 1995, Sadowsky confirms that serial #179 is indeed one of several that he made for Prince. Prince’s signed handwritten notes related to the Purple Rain back cover album text will also be offered, estimated $8,000-$12,000.
An adrenaline rush of guitars from rock’s greatest legends will burn up the auction stage, including a 1990 Torino Red Fender Stratocaster electric guitar signed and stage played by Eric Clapton on his 1989-1991 Journeyman tour, a 1992 Gibson Les Paul Classic electric guitar signed and stage-played by Gilby Clarke, former guitarist for Guns N’ Roses (used on GNR’s 1993 Use Your Illusion Tour), Heart (on tour as well as the band’s appearance on VH1 Storytellers in 2003), Slash’s Snakepit, The MC5, Nancy Sinatra, a 1999 Epiphone Noel Gallagher signature Supernova semi-hollow body electric guitar in Union Jack finish by the members of Oasis with Liam Gallagher, Gem Archer, Andy Bell, Alan White, plus Noel Gallagher’s signature and an additional flower drawn by Noel on the back along with the inscription, “Peace, Love, and Bananas” accompanied by photographs of the band signing the guitar at the Beacon Theater in New York in 2002, and more.
A Christmas-themed hat with tinsel on the top, stage-worn by Freddie Mercury during Queen’s charity performance on December 26, 1979, at London’s Odeon Hammersmith, as part of the “Concerts For Kampuchea” series is estimated $10,000-$20,000; Bob Mackie’s designed full-length feather headdress worn by Cher on the 1975 episode of The Cher Show in a sketch with Jerry Lewis ($40,000-$60,000); Johnny Cash American Recordings and Unchained iconic album cover and photoshoot worn Manuel black duster coat ($15,000-$20,000); Madonna 1997 “Ray of Light” MTV Video Music “Moonman” Award presented to Caresse Norman for Best Editing in a Video ($8,000-$12,000); a vintage Teal Airlines menu, signed by all four members of The Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, likely during their concert tour of Australia and New Zealand in June of 1964, that features a fillet of flounder in tartare sauce, and spiced caramel pears in chantilly cream, among other options ($6,000-$8,000); and much more.
Julien’s long-standing history of giving back to the music community continues with this year’s auction highlighting special exclusive collections that rock for a cause.
In its fifth consecutive year, Julien’s Auctions will present an incredible collection of handwritten and signed lyrics from some of music’s most influential artists and their greatest hits offered by Music Health Alliance (MHA) in its Lyrics for A Cause Auction – MHA has tirelessly served more than 25,000 members of the nationwide music community over 10 years. The non-profit’s advocacy work has saved more than $130M in healthcare costs, provided critical life-saving resources for medical procedures, mental health care, senior care support, diagnostic tests, and prescriptions, and helped countless families avoid bankruptcy due to mounting medical debt. Over 50 handwritten lyrics will be presented, including a promotional vinyl pressing of Billy Eilish’s album Hit Me Hard and Soft, signed on the cover by Eilish, who has also inscribed lyrics from her song “Chihiro” (photo right): “There’s a part of me that recognizes you, / Do you feel it too?”; Selena Gomez handwritten and signed “Who Says” lyrics with doodled small hearts; Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down handwritten and signed lyrics for the band’s song “Away from the Sun”; Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls handwritten and signed “Closer to Fine” lyrics; and more.
Gibson Gives, the iconic and leading global instrument brand’s charitable arm that is committed to making the world a better place by supporting non-profit organizations and developing programs to advance musicians through music education and health and wellness initiatives worldwide, will partner once again with Julien’s in offering a lineup of twelve of their legendary guitars signed by music’s greatest heroes to support their philanthropic efforts. Highlights include a 2022 Gibson Slash Les Paul Standard electric guitar signed by Slash, Peter Frampton signed Gibson “Phenix” Inspired Les Paul Custom VOS, and a Gibson EDS-1275 Double Neck signed by Don Felder of the Eagles.
The sale of 62 incredible guitars made by the world’s finest brands from Fender, Gibson, Epiphone, Ibanez, Danelectro, Epiphone to Guild, as well other one-of-a-kind musical objects signed by a who’s who of music icons will benefit Sweet Relief Musicians Fund that provides services and financial assistance for all types of career musicians and music industry professionals. Items from Dolly Parton, Steve Vai, Alice Cooper, John Mellencamp, Keith Richards, Norah Jones, Peter Frampton, Slash, Duran Duran, Phish, and others will be for sale.
