Event Details

JULIEN’S AUCTIONS IS PROUD TO PRESENT "MUSIC ICONS", AN AUCTION TAKING PLACE IN BEVERLY HILLS AND LIVE ONLINE AT JULIEN'S LIVE ON FRIDAY, JUNE 11TH, SATURDAY, JUNE 12TH AND SUNDAY, JUNE 13TH.

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Julien’s Auctions has announced a marquee lineup for our annual music extravaganza, Music Icons, taking place over three days on Friday, June 11th, Saturday, June 12th and Sunday, June 13th live in Beverly Hills and online at www.JuliensLive.com.

A canon of over 1,000 music iconography featuring instruments, memorabilia, wardrobe and personal property owned and used by the greatest 20th and 21st century’s pop culture icons representing the genres of rock and roll, pop, soul, R&B and beyond will be offered.

The list of legends included Alex Van Halen, Eddie Van Halen, Kurt Cobain, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Elton John, Little Richard and others join the previously announced female music icons lineup of Cher, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Whitney Houston and more.

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Bursting onto the auction stage this summer will be one of the most coveted drum kits played by the legendary drummer, Alex Van Halen. His custom designed Ludwig drum kit, stage played on over 100 shows of Van Halen’s 1980 "Invasion Tour", will make history once again as the first and only drum kit of the rock icon ever to come to the auction.

“This kit from the 1980 Van Halen Invasion World Tour spent 5 years on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland,” said Alex Van Halen. “It’s the only one like it in the world and I’m happy that 100% of the selling price will be going to charity via the Frangioni Foundation and Mr. Holland’s Opus.”

Five Charvel EVH Art Series electric guitars designed, hand striped and played by Eddie Van Halen will join his brother Alex’s drum kit on the auction stage including the last of the late legendary rock guitarist’s Charvel legendary EVH guitars he played on stage.

Other drum kits from legendary rock bands will rock the stage with a singular and sensational drum kit heading this way from the legendary drummer Eric Singer of one of rock and roll’s most notorious bands, KISS.

The original five-piece Premier brand drum kit in red sparkle finish used by Clem Burke on numerous classic Blondie recordings, such as "Heart of Glass," "Call Me," and "One Way or Another" as well as the band’s music videos, and publicity shoots is another auction show stopper. The previously displayed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum drum kit was used exclusively in the recording of Blondie's multi-platinum selling albums, Parallel Lines and Eat to The Beat, in concert during the worldwide 1979 "Blondie Parallel Lines Tour" and also appears in the 1980 film, Roadie, during Blondie's cover performance of the iconic Johnny Cash song, "Ring of Fire."

A fine collection of original artwork and a lyrical masterpiece created by one of the most influential singer-songwriters of all time and pop culture icon, Bob Dylan, will make an appearance. A sheet of notepaper from The Atlantic Lumber Company in Boston, Massachusetts, contains handwritten lyrics and chord annotations in pencil by Dylan to his 1969 song, "Lay Lady Lay", with working lyrics not in the final version.

Another fascinating and rare piece of art heading to the auction stage comes from another iconoclast and one of rock music’s most signature artists of all time: Kurt Cobain. A self-portrait caricature drawing done in black felt pen on TNT Music Centre in Singapore stationery by the charismatic front man of the group Nirvana depicts himself playing the guitar and is signed "Kurdt Kobain Rock Star" and handwritten on the right, "I don't know how to play and I don't give a hoot!"

Handwritten letters from Britney Spears’ early years from the private collection of Donald “Reg” Jones, her high school boyfriend, present a rare opportunity to take a closer look at the personal life of the teenage pop sensation at the turning point of her young career and on the brink of becoming a global pop culture phenomenon.

A collection of handwritten lyrics written by the Academy Award-winning legendary songwriter and famed collaborator with Elton John Bernie Taupin – will take the top of the charts. The collection comes from the musical genius’ first wife Maxine Taupin, who was privy to her husband’s creative writing process and rise to stardom in the 70s. Highlights of the collection include handwritten, original lyrics to "Candle in the Wind", "Bennie and the Jets", "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)", "The Border Song" and more.

Prince, not only changed the face of pop music but the face of fashion. A sensational 1994 blue Cloud guitar made by Andy Beech and commissioned and owned by Prince will rock the auction block. In addition, a spectacular collection representing his maverick style legacy will dazzle the auction stage including several ensembles designed by Jose Arellanes and worn by the seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning icon on his "Jam of the Year World Tour" as well as a red two-piece Gianni Versace suit purchased and worn by Prince in the mid-1990s and an Issey Miyake long black button-down coat with tight pleating, worn by The Purple One before and after many performances during his "Jam of the Year World Tour" and "New Power Soul Tour" as well as a 14K white gold Love Symbol pendant accented with 63 round diamonds custom designed by a Minneapolis jeweler to wear for the "Jam of the Year World Tour".

Other remarkable rock and roll iconography include: a tangerine-orange polyester jumpsuit adorned with thousands of black and white sequins in a piano keyboard motif worn onstage by the “Rocket Man” Elton John in 1975; a Ludwig brand drum kit with black lacquer finish stage-played by Matt Sorum with Velvet Revolver during the “Libertad Tour”; a cut sheet signed in black marker by The Doors lead singer Jim Morrison custom matted together with an image of Morrison; an Are You Experienced signed in purple ink on the record album sleeve by all three members of The Jimi Hendrix Experience band; spectacular stage ensembles from Little Richard; a handwritten poem by Tupac Shakur to his girlfriend and much more.

Register to bid and view online at www.JuliensLive.com.

If you can't make it out to Beverly Hills to bid in person, you can still watch all the action as well as bid online at julienslive.com!

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