Prince Guitar, Jimi Hendrix Arrest Documents Highlight Rock Auction
Prince‘s acoustic guitar, Jimi Hendrix-signed arrest documents and a John Lennon/Yoko Ono-signed “bed-in” display photograph highlight Julien’s upcoming “Icons & Idols: Rock N’ Roll Auction,” scheduled for Saturday, November 5th in Los Angeles.
According to the listing, Prince used the 1959 vintage Gibson L48 archtop acoustic to sketch out song ideas and record demos in the early 1970s. He posed with the guitar in his first professional photographs by Robert Whitman in 1977, two of which are also for sale. The instrument is estimated to bring between $40,000 and $60,000. Other notable Prince auction items include his black paisley jacket, handwritten lyrics for “We Can Work It Out” (then titled “I Hope We Work It Out”) and a microphone that’s, of course, purple.
Jimi Hendrix‘s signed arrest documents from his January 4th, 1968 arrest in Gothenburg, Sweden are also for sale. The 24-page document includes a report – mostly written in Swedish – detailing the events leading to the arrest, including Hendrix’s statement and one from his then-drummer, Mitch Mitchell. The materials are estimated between $20,00 and $30,000.
“The Jimi Hendrix Experience had just arrived in Gothenburg the day before for a four-day tour of Sweden and Denmark,” the listing explains. “Upon returning from a nightclub that night, the band and some additional friends retreated to Mitchell’s room, during which time a guest from the floor below filed a noise complaint. Upon entering the room, the night receptionist, Per Magnusson, found Hendrix in a pool of blood after breaking the hotel window with his hand, amidst an entirely destroyed room. Hendrix was arrested and taken to the hospital and charged with criminal damage.”
Lastly, the Lennon and Ono photograph documents their famous “bed-in” session, held between May 26th and June 2nd at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. The item, an image of an Inuit man, was displayed in couple’s room, where they recorded “Give Peace a Chance.” The photo, signed “John Lennon 1969″ and “Yoko Ono Montreal” on the top-right, is estimated between $20,000 and $30,000.
The Julien’s auction also features items from the Beatles, Nirvana, Frank Zappa, Foo Fighters, Michael Jackson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, U2, Mick Jagger, Madonna, Slash, Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison, among others.