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This is exciting news for anybody who has ever hoped to own a piece of rock'n'roll history. Rock music legends Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, and Joni Mitchell have all been announced as contributors to the MusiCares charity auction. Making this year's auction even more intriguing, some of the items will include NFTs from the contributors.
Richards will auction off a black Gibson ES-335 electric acoustic guitar, the cornerstone of the Gibson ES line-up, according to Julien’s Auctions. The guitar is hand-signed by Keith Richards in silver marker and the auction item will include a one-of-a-kind 4-second video NFT of Richards signing the guitar at Germano Studios in New York City. This is a "1-of-1 edition NFT," which means it's "a unique and non-interchangeable unit of data stored on the blockchain." It's also the first NFT ever offered by Richards. The guitar is estimated to sell between $6K-$8K.
“We are honored to be the platform to mint the first-ever Keith Richards NFT," OneOf co-founder Adam Fell said in a statement. "Keith is music royalty, and we applaud him and his team for championing eco-friendly blockchain technology that can empower musicians for generations to come.”
McCartney, meanwhile, will auction off a sunburst Hofner brand B-Bass Hi Series violin bass guitar. The bass is signed by McCartney on the body in black marker. This item is significant to rock history, as Julien's Auctions notes McCartney was "responsible for elevating the Hofner violin bass guitar to celebrity status after playing it while performing and recording with The Beatles" on such notable occasions as the Apple Rooftop concert and the Let It Be album recording sessions. While this is not McCartney's personal bass, this one is of a similar make and model. This item is accompanied by a soft case and a photograph of McCartney signing the guitar.
A highlight of the auction is sure to be Mitchell's original artist’s proof print of Jimi Hendrix, based on an oil painting by done by Mitchell herself. The painting features Hendrix with angel wings setting his guitar on fire at The Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. According to the auction listing, Mitchell prefers to think of the late musician "in Heaven." The print is hand-signed by Mitchell. She will be honored as MusiCares Person of the Year 2022.
For more items listed for auction, check out Julien's Auctions here.