Prince’s Sadowsky Telecaster and George Harrison’s Futurama, along with 850 legendary music memorabilia pieces, may fetch $400,000 and $800,000 respectively.
From November 20 to 21, 2024 Julien’s Auction is hitting the road to Music City with the return of Played, Worn, & Torn II, the auction house’s seminal music memorabilia event that will take place live at The Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum at The Historic Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee and online at juliensauctions.com. Headlining are some of the biggest music acts of all time and their arsenal of instruments, wardrobe, gear, and other iconography that crowned their success and charted their rise to the top, including the likes of The Beatles’ George Harrison, 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, Selena Gomez, 3 Doors Down, and Indigo Girls, to name a few.
Julien’s announcement began with a preview at the Hard Rock Cafe® in Times Square, New York, showcasing highlights from the public exhibition leading up to the auction, which runs through November 3. Meanwhile, an exhibition at The Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum at the Historic Municipal Auditorium will continue to run until the auction concludes.
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Two Guitars, Two Legends
Headlining the auction are two distinct and recognizable guitars from Prince and The Beatles’ George Harrison, namely Prince’s The 1985 Sadowsky Telecaster-style electric guitar with metallic purple finish and floral artwork by Wayne Jarrett and Harrison’s groundbreaking early Beatles era Futurama guitar.
Harrison’s Futurama guitar was played in 324 legendary Beatles performances at the Cavern Club, The Beatles’ first studio recordings, the band’s 1960 to 1961 Hamburg Tour, and their last visit to Hamburg in 1962. It is expected to fetch around $600,000 to $800,000.
Meanwhile, Prince’s electric guitar is a prized piece of music memorabilia among his extensive collection. Coming from the musician’s post-Purple Rain tour days, it 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. It was also 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 […]” The guitar may fetch an estimated $200,000 to $400,000. The musician’s signed handwritten notes related to the Purple Rain back cover album text will also be up for auction, and may fetch around $8,000 to $12,000.
More Music Makers
More valuable guitars from rock’s greatest legends will burn up the auction stage during ‘Played, Worn, and Torn II.’ These include Eric Clapton’s Eric signed and stage played 1990 Torino
Red Fender Stratocaster electric guitar (from the 1989 to 1991 Journeyman tour); Oasis’ 1999 Epiphone Noel Gallagher Supernova with Union Jack Finish (signed by Liam Gallagher, Gem Archer, Andy Bell, Alan White, and Noel Gallagher); and Dolly Parton’s Epiphone Power Players SG electric guitar in Lava Red finish (which she smashed and signed for her Nashville Special 2023 HITS Daily Double interview).
Other non-guitar music memorabilia include Billie Eilish’s signed Fender Billie Eilish Signature Ukelele; Lady Gaga’s 2009 “Parlour Magazine” Cover-Worn Fingerless Gloves; George Michael’s custom-made Giorgio Armani iridescent blue suit worn in the “25” Live Tour; Michael Jackson’s 1987 to 1988 “Bad” Tour Fingerless Gloves; and Freddie Mercury’s Christmas-themed hat, which he wore during Queen’s charity performance on December 26, 1979 at London’s Odeon Hammersmith, among many other items.
“From George Harrison’s early Beatles era Futurama to Prince’s signature tour guitar to the treasures of rock and roll kings and queens, Don Everly of the Everly Brothers and Dolly Parton, one would be hard pressed to find any auction collection that was more iconic as this one,” shares Darren Julien, executive director and co-founder of Julien’s Auctions. “After our most recent successful auction of Christine McVie’s collection in Nashville, Julien’s is thrilled to be back again at the renowned Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum to present this incredible auction which demonstrates our unwavering commitment to celebrating the legacy of rock and roll in the music capital of the world.”
Photos courtesy of Julien’s Auctions.
Banner photo (Prince playing the guitar) from IMDb.
