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One of late KISS guitarist Ace Frehley’s signature “smoker” guitars is going under the gavel in a rock and roll auction. The signed Sunburst Gibson Les Paul that Frehley played on the band’s 1999 Psycho Circus tour as well as their 2000 farewell tour is up for sale now via Gotta Have Rock and Roll, with a minimum opening bid of $100,000.
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“This custom-made Sunburst Gibson Les Paul ‘Smoker’ guitar was owned and signed by Ace Frehley, featuring modifications for his signature ‘Smoking’ effects,” reads a description on the auction house’s site. “It was heavily played and used during the 1999 and 2000 ‘Psycho Circus’ and ‘Farewell Tour’ concerts. The guitar is part of Ace Frehley’s personal collection and represents a unique piece of rock history from an influential period of his career.” The instrument comes with a letter of authenticity, with the auction slated to end on Dec. 5.
Frehley, who joined KISS in 1973, was beloved for his funky Spaceman (aka Space Ace) character in the greasepaint-wearing band, which he originally left in 1982 before rejoining in 1996; the 2000 tour was his final outing with the band fronted by singer/guitarist Paul Stanley and bassist/singer Gene Simmons. He legendarily rigged his guitars with a number of fan-favorite effects, including ones that shot fireballs from their headstock, others that lit up and the one on the auction block now that emitted plumes of smoke from its neck.
In 2023, Ultimate Guitar described how Frehley rigged the guitar to smolder after he first tried to embed smoke bombs inside the cavity of the instrument, only to have it mess up the volume and tone controls. The magazine said he worked with an engineer to remove the pickup from the guitar’s neck and slip a fog machine into the cavity for the effect that became one of his signature on-stage tricks.
The guitarist died last month at age 74, with his family announcing his passing in a statement that read, “We are completely devastated and heartbroken. In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth. We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!”
An autopsy report revealed that Frehley’s death was caused by blunt trauma injuries to his head after suffering a fall, with the manner of death listed as accidental.
Trending on Billboard As the holiday season gets underway, an ultra-rare Mariah Carey demo tape is coming up for auction. This centerpiece of an historic archival release sourced from the collection of legendary producer/DJ Arthur Baker, the demo tape is being auctioned by Wax Poetics. The auction preview opens today (Nov. 11) with bidding going […]
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Some of 2Pac’s earliest work has been unearthed. Some of his unreleased from music 1990 is set to be auctioned for $250,000.
As spotted on TMZ 2Pac’s art is still very much high in demand; even 26 years later. Momentsintime.com has announced they have acquired some records the late great rapper made before he considered being a solo artist. According to the listing 2Pac “composed and recorded an unreleased album for a group called Jesse and the Kidz. It was never released due to the tragic death of one of the band members”. The auction house also states that 2Pac leads off three of the tracks on the album.
In addition to the never before heard music, they are also selling 2Pac’s written lyrics from those “Jesse and the Kidz” sessions. Interestingly enough he apparently penned the material for the song “The Street Got Ya Babiez” while on the west coast as it was written on Hotel Deville West Hollywood stationary. Also found on this paper is what seems to be where 2Pac first thought of his signature acronym for the word nigga (Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished).
You can place your bid for 2Pac’s unreleased music and lyric sheets here.
A federal judge is refusing to wade into whether Jay-Z can use copyright termination to retake control of the rights to his debut album Reasonable Doubt — meaning that the complex issue won’t be resolved before a court-ordered auction of Damon Dash’s one-third stake in the company that owns the album.
The judge had been asked to decide that tricky question because of allegations that Jay-Z was using “false” threats of a looming termination to drive down the auction price for Dash’s stake in Roc-A-Fella Records Inc., which controls the rights to the famous album.
But in a ruling Monday (Sept. 30), Judge Robert W. Lehrburger flatly refused to do so — saying he had no legal power to add complicated questions of copyright law to the already-messy fight over Dash’s stake.
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“The asset that is the subject of the auction is Dash’s one-third interest in RAF [Roc-A-Fella] itself, not the work owned by RAF,” the judge wrote. “The Court does not presently have jurisdiction over the validity of Carter’s copyright termination notice.”
As early as next month, the U.S. Marshals Service will sell off Dash’s 33.3% interest in Roc-A-Fella Inc., an entity whose only real asset is the sound recording copyright to Reasonable Doubt. The rest of the storied label, which Dash co-founded with Jay-Z in 1994, is not involved.
Though the court-ordered auction was originally intended to pay off an $823,000 judgment in a civil lawsuit, it has since expanded to include other Dash creditors. New York City’s child services agency wants some of the proceeds to go toward more than $193,000 that Dash owes in unpaid child support; New York state says they must pay down roughly $8.7 million that Dash owes in back taxes and penalties.
The owners of the other two-thirds of Roc-A-Fella — label co-founders Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) and Kareem “Biggs” Burke — have already attempted to stop the auction, including making changes to the company’s bylaws and intervening in the lawsuit. But a federal judge rejected such opposition in February, and the sale could take place as early as this month.
As the auction has approached, one major unresolved question for any potential buyer is just how long Roc-A-Fella will continue to own its only real valuable asset.
The so-called termination right, a provision created by Congress in the 1970s, empowers authors to reclaim ownership of copyrighted works decades after they sold them away. If Jay-Z is eligible for it, termination would allow him to take back the rights to his sound recording of Reasonable Doubt roughly 35 years after he released the album, meaning 2031. That would set a clear time limit on the amount of revenue a Roc-A-Fella buyer would derive from their investment.
But last month, attorneys for New York City filed court papers arguing that Jay-Z was not, in fact, eligible for termination — and that he and others were using “false” threats of an approaching termination to drive down the price of Dash’s stake in his company.
“Jay-Z’s statements to the press have poisoned the environment for the auction,” wrote Gerald Singleton, an attorney for the city, asking the judge to halt the auction and issue a ruling on whether or not Jay-Z could use termination to win back control of Reasonable Doubt.
Days later, Jay-Z lawyer Alex Spiro responded that there was “no merit to NYC’s accusations,” and that the Dash case was not the proper place to decide Jay-Z’s rights to the album: “Put simply, this is not the appropriate time, forum, or case to litigate any issues relating to Jay-Z’s notice of termination.”
In Monday’s ruling, Judge Lehrburger agreed with Spiro and Jay-Z: “[NYC]’s motion to stay the auction for purposes of having this court determine the validity of the copyright termination notice filed by Shawn Carter a/k/a Jay-Z in connection with the work Reasonable Doubt, an asset owned by RAF, is denied.”
The judge also rejected New York City’s attempt to conduct discovery into Roc-A-Fella’s holdings, saying that kind of investigation was also beyond the scope of the current litigation. An attorney for the city declined to comment on the order.
The auction is currently scheduled for Oct. 21, but it has been postponed multiple times and could be delayed again. A minimum purchase price has been set at $3 million.
A man in Ellis County, Texas, is going viral after he bought an autographed guitar for $4000 at an auction only to destroy it. In the clip shared by TMZ, the white-haired man is seen grabbing the guitar and repeatedly hitting it with a hammer while the crowd cheers. He then looked as though he […]
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Lil Wayne’s penmanship is worth more than he probably ever imagined. His old rhyme book is going to be auctioned for $5 million dollars after a long legal battle.
As reported on Digital Music News, the New Orleans, Louisiana, native will see some of his earliest work go to the highest bidder. This week, memorabilia site Moments In Time announced that they will be moving forward with the selling of a notebook he used during the 1990s as a member of the Hot Boys. In it are lyrics he penned for several of the group’s classic songs including, “Grown Man” and “We On Fire.” Additionally, the company states that it also includes drawings of what appears to be Mannie Fresh, but this has yet to confirmed.
According to TMZ, the notebook was in a car owned by someone associated with Cash Money Records. Legend has it when the dealership took back the car an employee emptied the vehicle out and held onto the book. The man stored the collectible in his garage, but then Hurricane Katrina hit the city in 2005 causing severe water damage to the item. This is not the first time the memorabilia site has tried to sell off the notebook. Back in 2019, the personal item went on the block for $250,000, but Lil Wayne filed a cease and desist stopping Moments In Time from selling it. Almost five years later, a judge has granted the company the right to proceed with the sale.
You can read more about the Lil Wayne book of rhymes auction here.
A rare collection of Michael Jackson‘s signed drawings will be auctioned off on August 3. The 78 sketches made using wax pencils and pastels, as well as watercolors include images of the singer in a Jedi-style robe, as well as drawings of chairs, Michelangelo’s David, a number of U.S. presidents, Peter Pan, pop art icon Andy Warhol, Walt Disney, Marilyn Monroe and Queen Elizabeth II.
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“Get ready to own some of the most coveted pieces of art by one of the biggest music icons in the world,” reads a description from auction house Kings Auctions. “These one of a kind pieces of art aren’t just an investment, they are your chance to own a piece of music history.”
The sale will take place at an as-yet-undisclosed location in Los Angeles next month. “He was influenced by many art genres, from classical and architectural to pop art and even formal portraiture. He also had a great fondness for London and British customs,” the auction house added of the sketches, all of which are signed and some of which are double-sided.
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The unique auction will feature one mega-lot, Lot #1, which requires an opening bid of $1 million for the entire collection. If a bidder meets that price then the auction will be over right away; otherwise each piece will be sold separately.
“Deemed ‘The Museum Collection’ because of its rare nature, these artworks by Jackson are as intimate as you can get. His inspirations are clearly communicated in each piece, each unique and reflective of the various times in the artists life,” Kings said in describing the works created by the singer who died in 2009 at age 50. “The featured piece will likely be the sketch of Martin Luther King which is a generous 36″ x 48″ in size. It is of course worthy of museum status. Other drawings include portraits of presidents and celebrities, himself, as well as Disney characters, abstracts, and more.”
In describing Jackson’s lifelong obsession with sketching, Kings said, “Jackson’s love for drawing started at an early age. When he was older he sought guidance from world renowned artists to fine tune his talent resulting in these rare pieces of art. Despite being known for his talent in music and dance, it is clear that Jackson had an innate talent for visual art as well.”
Browse the collection here to see images Jackson sketched of shoes, doors, chairs, keys, bi-planes, the gates of his Neverland Ranch and flowers. The auction will be co-hosted by Selling Sunset‘s Bre Tiesi and an as-yet-unnamed special surprise host.
An iconic acoustic guitar used by John Lennon during the 1965 sessions for the Beatles’ Help! album set a new record on Wednesday (May 29) when it sold for $2.9 million at a Julien’s auction. The auction at the Times Square Hard Rock Café where the 1964 Framus Hootenanny acoustic guitar went under the gavel […]
Like anyone who’s been in the game for more than three decades, Snoop Dogg has accumulated a lot of Doggy Dogg… stuff. But unlike a lot of other famous folks, pretty soon it’s going to go under the gavel in a novel celebrity auction via sports-and-music auction house the Realest in which Snoop is directly […]
There are few tropes better than love triangles — especially when they involve three rock icons. From March 8-21, auction house Christie’s will host an online auction of items from the personal collection of British photographer and model Pattie Boyd, who served as a muse for both George Harrison and Eric Clapton.
Deemed as “one of the greatest muses in rock history” by Christie’s via a press release on Monday (Feb. 26), Boyd inspired a plethora of songs between the two musicians. Boyd was married to Harrison during the peak of Beatlemania, the band’s foray into psychedelia and post-breakup (1966-1977). Harrison’s Boyd-inspired Beatles tracks include “I Need You” (1965) and Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers “Something” (1969) and “For You Blue” (1970).
Clapton, a close friend of Harrison’s, pursued Boyd for years via a series of love letters, some of which are available at the auction. “I am writing this note to you, with the main purpose of ascertaining your feelings toward a subject well known to both of us,” he opens one letter. “What I wish to ask you is if you still love your husband, or if you have another lover? All these questions are very impertinent I know, but if there is still a feeling in your heart for me… you must let me know!”
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By 1974, upon discovering his multitude of extramarital affairs, Boyd left Harrison. Five years later, she and Clapton married, eventually splitting in 1987 due to substance abuse issues and infidelity. In Clapton’s catalog, Boyd can lay claim to inspiring “Layla,” the 1971 No. 12 Hot 100 hit, which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame just 27 years after its release (1998).
For her part, Boyd believes auctioning off these items (which include photos of herself, Harrison and Clapton, as well as postcards, telegrams and letters) is a part of her healing journey.
“I thought, ‘Do I need them? Do I need to keep going into Pandora’s Box?’ I’ve enjoyed them for many, many years, and now it’s time for other people to see and enjoy them. It’s only right I should pass them on,” she mused to Christie’s, where items will be on display at Christie’s in London from March 15-22.
