6RR Spotlight

John Lennon’s Lost Guitar Headed To Auction

 

John Lennon’s original acoustic guitar used during the Beatles’ first years of recording has been found over 50 years later, according to The Telegraph. The jumbo J-160E Gibson Acoustic, which Lennon bought in Liverpool at the same time George Harrison bought his, was used on such early Beatles classics as “P.S. I Love You,” “This Boy,” “Till There Was You,” and his classic demo of “Bad To Me.” The guitar was snatched in 1963 during the Beatles’ Finsbury Park Christmas Show, and was purchased decades later by collector John McCaw in a U.S. junk shop. The guitar is expected to fetch in the neighborhood of $1 million in November when it’s sold at Julien’s Auctions.

 

The guitar’s authenticity was verified by historian and musician Andy Babiuk, author of the definitive book on the “Fab Four’s instruments, The Beatles’ Gear, “by matching the guitar’s serial number, wood grain and scratches to photographs and videos of Lennon playing the instrument.”

 

We checked in with Beatlefan magazine publisher Bill King and asked the obvious question most fans are asking upon hearing the guitar was heading to the auction block: “How does ownership of a lost or stolen guitar, once found, not legally and automatically revert directly back to its last owner?” King explained, that it was his understanding that “since the current owner bought it unknowingly some 40 odd years ago and didn’t know until recently that it was Lennon’s, they cut a deal with Yoko Ono where they will donate a portion of the proceeds to the official Lennon family charity, the Spirit Foundation.”

 

 

Sonic Highways Season 2

 

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl confirmed in a new interview with NME that there will be a second season of the band’s HBO documentary series, Sonic Highways. Grohl revealed, “There is gonna be another Sonic Highways season. It might or might not be international. It might someday be international. It might only be England, or England and other places. Or maybe it’s places in America, and people from other countries that are inspired by these places in America.”

 

The first season of Sonic Highways, which was directed by Grohl and aired last fall, followed the band to eight different iconic recording studios in eight different American cities, with each episode exploring the history of the studio and local scene.

The Foos recorded one song in each studio, resulting in the Sonic Highways album.

Grohl told NME that the great thing about the Sonic Highways concept is that “it can be anywhere, because any city has some sort of musical history,” citing the U.K. as one especially rich region in rock history.

 

 

Blues Brothers to Return

 

(The Blues) Dan Aykroyd has revealed he’s working on a follow-up to 1980 movie The Blues Brothers. He played Elwood Blues in the 1980 original and starred alongside John Belushi.

 

Aykroyd is now working with the late actor’s brother Jim on a film which he hopes to release on DVD and via on-demand TV services. He tells the Daily Mail: “I have a story in mind, and that might be something Universal may be interested in. A feature? I don’t think so, they wouldn’t back that, but maybe something to video.

 

“I might do a straight to video with a lot of music and that kind of thing where we could really pack it with music, make it a little smaller and still a valid piece of art.”

 

 

Frampton Plotting Acoustic Tour

 

Peter Frampton likes to keep busy. Having just launched his spring and summer trek with Cheap Trick, he’s already laying the groundwork for his first acoustic tour for this upcoming autumn. So far, only two shows have been announced: October 12th at Collingswood, New Jersey’s Scottish Rite Auditorium and October 14th at Englewood, New Jersey’s Bergen Performing Arts Center.

 

Prior to hitting the road last week, Frampton had been holed up in the studio recording his new album, which — as of now — will feature stripped-down acoustic remakes of such classics as “Lines On My Face,” “Do You Feel Like We Do,” “Baby, I Love Your Way” — and one for the die-hards, the 1974 Somethin’s Happening finale, “Sail Away.”

 

 

Tommy Thayer Wont Fight With Ace Frehley

 

Kiss guitarist, Tommy Thayer, who has “portrayed” Ace Frehley’s character in the band’s live show since 2002 wants to keep the peace between him and Frehley, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. Frehley has often publicly accused Thayer — who over the years has worked in just about every capacity within the Kiss organization, from gofer, to songwriter and filmmaker — of being a sham who simply imitates him for a living. Unlike Frehley’s original replacement Vinnie Vincent — who was given his own unique persona — fans have had mixed reactions to Thayer duping some fans into thinking Frehley is still playing with the band.

 

During a recent interview with Australia’s Newcastle Herald, Thayer spoke about not responding to some of Frehley’s zingers, explaining, “I don’t want to get into a back and forth, but I’m sure you can kind of assess what you think when you hear all that. . . I think he had every opportunity in the world to continue in Kiss and be in Kiss as long as he did the right thing. It worked out better for me and he has to lead his life. As far as the jabs and all that, he can say that stuff and I’m not going to say anything bad about him. I just wish all the best to everybody in whatever they’re doing.”