Event Details

OUR EPIC THREE-DAY "MUSIC ICONS" AUCTION IS TAKING PLACE FRIDAY MAY 19TH, SATURDAY MAY 20TH AND SUNDAY MAY 21ST AT THE HARD ROCK CAFÉ NEW YORK AND LIVE ONLINE AT JULIEN’S LIVE.

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Julien’s Auctions spectacular lineup of artifacts are offered in the industry’s premiere music auction event, Music Icons, taking place Friday, May 19th, Saturday, May 20th, and Sunday, May 21st, 2023 live at Hard Rock Cafe New York and online at Julien’s Live.



Over 1,200 items owned and used by the world’s greatest music artists such as Kurt Cobain, Nirvana, The Beatles, Guns N' Roses, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, Eddie Van Halen, U2, Tupac Shakur, Judas Priest, Motley Crüe, Bob Dylan and more will be offered in addition to exclusive collections from Amy Winehouse, Bill Wyman, Julian Lennon, Bette Midler, Phil Spector with the three-day auction event closing as previously announced with the grand finale, Property from the Special Collection of Global Icon Janet Jackson.

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One of the incredible highlights of the auction will be a 1960s Rosetti Egmond 276 Toledo acoustic guitar signed by a star-studded lineup of music icons who performed or attended as guests on BBC’s The Top of the Pops during the show’s early years, while Lorn "Johnnie" Stewart was the producer. Over 35 signatures and inscriptions from legendary musicians such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Dusty Springfield, The Ronettes, The Crystals, Neil Diamond, Marianne Faithfull and more are featured on the instrument.

Hitting the auction stage front and center will be legacy items from one of the most iconic rock bands of all time, Nirvana, such as a black Fender Stratocaster electric guitar smashed by Kurt Cobain and signed by all three members of Nirvana.

One of the marquee auction headliners of the three-day event will be the five-time GRAMMY Award®-winning retro-soul music superstar and pop diva, Amy Winehouse. This stunning collection of 50 pieces, synonymous with Winehouse’s distinct style and signature artistry, curated by Naomi Parry, author of Beyond Black, the definitive story of Amy Winehouse, and Winehouse’s stylist, designer and close friend, who created many of the style icon’s most famous fashion moments, were displayed recently at The Museum of Style Icons at the Newbridge Silverware Visitor’s Centre’s exhibition of Winehouse’s life and career.

The King of Rock and Roll thrilled audiences once again in Baz Luhrmann’s blockbuster 2022 biographical film Elvis and his iconic Las Vegas residency and comeback television special as well as personal items from his private life and larger than life persona will reign in this auction.

Rare items from the legendary guitarist and singer Jimi Hendrix will rock the auction stage such as his handwritten lyrics for the 1967 Bath Pavilion “51st Anniversary” song signed by Hendrix and members of The Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding.

Extraordinary and more never before seen pieces from the renowned Rolling Stones archive of Bill Wyman, the legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, English musician, record producer, songwriter and singer and founding member and bassist of the World’s Greatest Rock Band, will be an outstanding highlight of this music auction blockbuster. This intimate and personal time capsule of Wyman’s storied three decade career features important memorabilia, documents, jewelry and other treasures of Rolling Stones history.



In their continuation of representing Beatles iconography of historical significance at auction, Julien’s proudly presents an array of remarkable pieces from Julian Lennon’s private collection of Beatles treasures and historic personal items from his father John Lennon. Rarely have pieces from GRAMMY® Nominated singer/songwriter, multi-faceted artist and humanitarian, Julian Lennon’s collection been seen or made available to the public. A portion of the proceeds of this auction of Julian Lennon’s collection will benefit Lennon’s nonprofit The White Feather Foundation.

A glittering collection from The Divine Miss M herself, Bette Midler, will dazzle the auction stage this May. Costumes, record albums, posters, and more from the entertainment icon’s illustrious film, stage and music career spanning five decades that have won her Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe awards and legions of fans around the world will be offered.

From the Estate of the Rock and Hall of Fame inducted American record producer and songwriter, Phil Spector, the infamous trailblazer of the “wall of sound” technique and some of the biggest hits in the canon of American pop music such as the Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin Feelin,’” The Ronnettes’ “Be My Baby,” and The Crystals’ “Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)” comes a collection of memorabilia, personal items, recording studio gear and more.

Julien’s Auctions has once again partnered with Gibson - the iconic, leading American instrument brand - in offering instruments and music items donated and signed by some of the biggest luminaries in entertainment. All proceeds of this auction will go towards Gibson’s charitable arm Gibson Gives whose mission is to support non-profit organizations to advance musicians, youth-focused education, music, and wellness initiatives.

“I want my MTV!” And Julien’s got it with a remarkable collection of MTV Video Music Awards through the different eras and continents the iconic awards show has been telecasted including for the first time at Julien’s, an MTV “VMAJ” Moonman from Japan (“Sumo award”) awarded to and signed by the Beastie Boys and MTV “AVMA” Moonman Australia (“Playtpus award”) from Justin Timerlake and Timbaland.

Other exceptional highlights include:

• The Who’s legendary drummer, Keith Moon’s “Stardust” film used 1960s blue/black pearl finish four-piece Premier brand drum kit;
• A circa 2002 Gretsch Irish Falcon electric guitar, stage-played by U2’s Bono. A devotee of the Gretsch 6196 Country Club, Bono commissioned ten Irish Falcon electric guitars from Gretsch in 2000. This particular Irish Falcon guitar was signed by all four members of U2 and donated by Bono when he was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year in 2003;
• A 1973 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe electric guitar played by Lenny Kravitz in the early years of his legendary career with his seminal albums such as 1989’s Let Love Rule and 1991’s Mama Said. The guitar can be seen being played Kravitz live on stage during various performances from this time period, including the John Lennon Memorial Concert in Liverpool on May 5, 1990 and throughout his 1991 European tour;
• A Goff Professional rebuilt 1960 Hammond B3 organ, stage-played by keyboardist, arranger and film composer Ed Shearmur while on tour with Jimmy Page & Robert Plant circa 1995-1998;

• Freddie Mercury’s New York Yankees bomber jacket stage-worn during one of Queen’s News of the World tour stops in 1977 at Madison Square Garden;
• David Bowie signed Man Who Fell to Earth fedora hat;
• Eddie Van Halen 2004 Charvel EVH Art Series 78 electric guitar, stage-played during the final concert of Van Halen’s 2007 & 2008 Tour featuring David Lee Roth who was back in the line-up for the first time since 1985. The performance at which this guitar was used on stage was part of Quebec City’s Summer Festival on July 3, 2008;
• Multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald’s vast collection of career items and instruments during his time with King Crimson and Foreigner such as his stage-played from 1977-1980 Selmer Mark VI alto saxophone ($1,000-$2,000), “Long, Long Way from Home” Hohner D6 clavinet, ebony Gibson ES-335 electric guitar, vintage 1967 Fender Deluxe Reverb Amplifier and more.
• A 2003 candy apple red custom Hamer K.K. Downing Vector electric guitar, used extensively by Downing on-stage during Judas Priest’s 2005 Angel of Retribution tour and on the cover of Downing’s s autobiography Heavy Duty: Days and Nights in Judas Priest;

• A vintage 1959 Olympic white Fender Stratocaster electric guitar, owned and used by Motley Crüe’s Mick Mars from his early days with the band through 2002;
• Tupac Shakur’s “Throw Ya Hands Up” handwritten music lyrics;
• Queens of the Stone Age’s leopard print painted Lester Piano Company / Lindeman and Sons baby grand piano with red-painted interior, hand pump modification, and Styrofoam prop teeth from the music video for their song “The Vampyre of Time and Memory”;
• Ronnie Lane’s custom-made 1971 Zemaitis resonator acoustic guitar with parts from his Gretsch resonator guitar by Tony Zemaitis. This one-of-a-kind instrument is the only sixstring resonator guitar made by Zemaitis and was played by Lane while performing solo and with Slim Chance and was photographed on the back cover of the Slim Chance album Anymore for Anymore;

• Prince’s original sealed The Black Album record album, his notorious 1987 production whose album release was quickly cancelled one week prior to its intended publication date and more.
• Eric Clapton Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs original MCI JH-16 prototype tape recorder machine studio used during the production of the sole Derek and the Dominos 1970 studio album with the aforementioned title. Designed and constructed by MCI Inc. founder Jeep Harned, the imposing 16-track machine (known affectionately as "Dumbo") was essential to the rich layering of the title track, "Layla," the chronicle of Eric Clapton's infatuation with Pattie Boyd (then-wife of Clapton's friend and musical collaborator, George Harrison). The JH-16 prototype was likely used to record many other iconic tracks in Criteria's Studio B (c. 1970-1974) as well.

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 Julien's Live.

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