Willie Nelson Memorabilia Auction

August 2017

Throughout most of the 1980s, Evergreen, Colorado was home to the Nelsons. Willie, Connie and

their daughters embraced the breathtaking nature that surrounded their 44 acre estate. Time Magazine even did a full cover feature in 1983 on this beautiful hideaway. A divorce in 1988 and a well-documented row with the IRS eventually led to the sale of this majestic property in 1991.

At the time of sale, the home, guest houses, barn and recording studio were offered "as is", with inclusion of the remaining furniture and miscellaneous contents. The Evergreen home was eventually purchased by a real estate investor who placed all the original contents in storage, where it has remained for the last 26 years.

Upon inspection it was discovered that these stored items contained much more than what was initially believed to be there. In addition to a variety of antique furniture, a host of chandeliers and lamps and quite literally the bath tub and sink, the inventory also included a vast number of trunks that were filled with an incredible array of vintage Willie Nelson memorabilia. Concert t-shirts, tour itineraries, backstage passes, posters, event programs, photos, press folders, promotional material and much more made for an impressive treasure trove of anything "Willie".

Among the highlights are handwritten lyrics by Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash, as well as a substantial collection of correspondence with friends of the Nelsons such as June Carter-Cash, Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, Leon Russell, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Wexler, President Jimmy Carter and many others. There are personal mementos dating back to the 1960s and even some old gear from Willie Nelson's recording studio. And did we mention his fire engine red claw foot bath tub, complete with all the original hardware? He and Connie were photographed in this bath tub for the Time Magazine 1983 article.

Willie Nelson is a legend and a true American icon. He is as much loved for his amazing catalog of timeless music, as he is respected for activism and attitude towards life. This auction offers a unique opportunity to own an authentic memento of Willie Nelson and his Evergreen home. Each item comes with a certificate, signed by the original purchaser of the Evergreen Estate.

An online preview of the Willie Nelson Memorabilia Auction will run from August 11 - 18 and then the auction will go live on August 19th at Backstage Auctions.

Sign up today to get your All Access VIP Pass to the event, it only takes a minute and there is no sign up fee.

We look forward to seeing you at the auction block for this unique and historical event.

Def Leppard Hysteria Collectibles Auction - Let's Rock!

By the time Def Leppard had wrapped up their historic 1987 - 1988 'Hysteria World Tour' they had played 236 shows and raked in over 20 million dollars in merchandise sales - a feat never achieved by any other band or artist. Meanwhile, the 'Hysteria' album had sold over 25 million copies, with no less than 7 songs making it in the Billboard top-20 charts. Songs that are still played on a daily basis by radio stations across the globe and songs we all sing along with, from 'Love Bites', 'Women', 'Animal', 'Rocket' and 'Hysteria', to 'Love Bites' and 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'.

It was safe to say that the world was firmly in the spotted claw grips of "Leppard Mania". And even 30 years later, Def Leppard remains one of the biggest bands on the planet with more than 100 million albums sold worldwide and numerous award achievements.

The highs of 'Hysteria' were sadly followed by an all-time low with the death of guitarist Steve Clark, who was an amazing guitarist, a superb riff master and the main Def Leppard songwriter at the time. Vivian Campbell has proven to be a more than capable replacement and has been the steady rock that helped the band survive. For many fans - and collectors - however the early days of the 'classic' line-up remain sacred.

The Def Leppard Hysteria Collectibles Auction will feature nearly 100 auction lots with mementos and collectibles from those glory days. The collection is provided by Ed Bruder, a long-time personal friend of the band and tour assistant on the 1987 - 1988 Hysteria World Tour.

The undisputed highlight of the auction is a custom Gibson Les Paul guitar.

Def Leppard Steve Clark's Gibson Les Paul Guitar

This marks one of the very first times that a guitar from 'The Riffmaster' himself becomes publicly available.

Other stand-outs are numerous autographed pieces, a Steve Clark used amp, clothing worn by Rick Allen, Steve Clark and Rick Savage and a true one-of-a-kind white vinyl test pressing of 'Hysteria'.

Fans will further be able to elevate the prestige of their collections with a broad assortment of rare crew and official concert shirts and jackets, guitar picks, drum sticks, tour itineraries, unique photos, backstage passes and other great pieces, such as Def Leppard’s very first 7" single owned by Joe Elliot or a Rick Allen used Def Leppard travel bag.

We are super excited about this collection and is definitely an event that Def Leppard fans and collectors can't afford to miss.

The Def Leppard Hysteria Collectibles Auction PREVIEW starts on May 10, 2017. The AUCTION will go live on May 13 and end on May 21, 2017.

Register today for your VIP All Access Pass:  Grab Your VIP Pass

Paul Gray All Access Legacy Auction

Featuring founding Slipknot member Paul Gray's personal and private collection.

Backstage Auctions’ is honored to present a rare and one of kind online auction event in April 2017 -  featuring the personal collection of founding Slipknot member, Paul Gray. "It’s truly a privilege to be hosting this event especially knowing that it will benefit Paul’s daughter October," explains Backstage Auctions founder Jacques van Gool. The event, aptly titled “Paul Gray All Access Legacy Auction,” gives fans and collectors around the world an opportunity to own an authentic piece of memorabilia direct from the one of most highly regarded bass players in the metal world.

The auction will feature Paul’s personal tour used bass guitars, amps, cabinets, gear, stage worn apparel, set lists, tour itineraries, signed items, record awards, personal passes and a whole lot more. Among the many highlights is a selection of over a dozen tour, studio and album recording used bass guitars, as well as several early day signature Slipknot jumpsuits. “Each of the guitars and jumpsuits has their own story to tell and represent a significant element of Paul Gray’s touring and recording history,”, comments van Gool. “I have personally worked with Brenna Gray over the past 18 months and her final selection of items from Paul’s collection is amazing and truly honors Paul’s legacy. She has hand-picked items that will appeal to Paul Gray and Slipknot collectors all around the world”.

Auction Registration:  VIP ALL ACCESS PASS

Collection Highlights

Guitars

Being able to offer just one guitar from an accomplished songwriter and multi-platinum award winning musician like Paul Gray of Slipknot is already reason for unrestrained excitement. Multiply that by 14 and you will understand that this impressive collection of instruments is truly unparalleled and one for the history books. Included are Paul Gray’s oldest Warwick bass guitars that date back to the recording of the first Slipknot album, all the way to a selection of Ibanez guitars used on his final tour with Slipknot in 2009. It is hard to pick a highlight but you can’t go wrong with his Warwick 4-string ‘Thumb’ bass guitar that became Paul’s undisputed guitar of choice for the first six years of touring and recording with Slipknot. 

Stage Worn Attire

They started off with wearing identical single color jumpsuits, only distinguished by the number of each member. Eventually the jumpsuits were donned for a more casual pants and shirts combination which remained uniform in color and individual in number. Either way, Slipknot presented itself as a unity of nine individuals who dressed similarly but stood apart by the use of their uniquely designed masks. This legacy auction offers a wide range of apparel that was worn by Paul Gray over the years, including no less than three authentic jumpsuits, an impressive number of stage worn shirts and pants, an even more dazzling array of ties, as well as a multitude of privately worn shirts and hats. One of the highlight items is Paul’s gray Slipknot ‘barcode’ jumpsuit that was worn on the 2000 era ‘World Domination Tour’ and the ‘Tattoo The Earth Tour’. It can be seen in many concert videos and photos and is without question an absolute legitimate museum piece.

Personal Items

It’s always fun to have personal items in an auction as they often show a side of a musician that you

may not expect or be familiar with. There are several of those unique items in this Paul Gray auction, from road used duffle bags and sweaty wristbands to toiletry items and even Paul’s ECG / Blood Pressure monitor that he traveled with on tour with Slipknot. One lot that stands out is a collection black facial make-up cream that Paul used to create a more dramatic contrast and effect in combination with his mask. There are three jars of make-up, all used by Paul on his final Slipknot tour in 2009, as well as a stick of heavy eye-liner. Not your everyday memento but something that is a true piece of Paul Gray’s larger than life stage persona.

Signed Items

Authentically signed items by all nine original Slipknot members are hard to find. And like with any other ‘A-list’ band, many of the so-called signed items do not necessarily contain the original signatures. Collectors will be excited to find two of those fully band-signed items in this auction; a vintage ‘Iowa’ 8 x 10 inch Roadrunner press photo, as well as a scarce ‘All Hope Is Gone’ tour program.  With both pieces directly coming from Paul Gray’s personal collection, there is no need to worry about the legitimacy of these signatures!

Record Awards

Record awards are more than shiny wall decorations. For a recording artist, these awards are a crowning testimony of their achievements and a speaking reminder of the effort it took to “be where you are”. For multi-platinum award recipient Paul Gray of Slipknot, these awards were priced possessions that were proudly displayed throughout his house. Having sold millions of records around the globe, his rooms featured plaques from the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, England and many other countries. With over a dozen of these beautiful awards in the auction – all personally issued to Paul Gray – we offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a true piece of Paul Gray and Slipknot history, highlighted by the platinum RIAA award for selling one million copies of the 1999 Slipknot debut album.

The online auction event starts April 1, 2017 and will run through April 9, 2017. A special VIP All Access Preview of the entire auction catalog will be available online beginning Saturday, March 25th and is open to fans and collectors worldwide. For more information and to register for a VIP All Access Pass for the Paul Gray All Access Legacy Auction visit:  www.backstageauctions.com

BACKSTAGE AUCTIONS is a boutique online auction house specializing in authentic rock memorabilia and exclusively representing legendary musicians and entertainment professionals directly. Every auction event is unique, reflecting the artist's legacy and chronicles their legendary career. Backstage Auctions has represented dozens of notable and very talented musicians, producers and managers in the music industry.

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