Chris Cantell Discusses Entertainment: Jimi Hendrix’s burnt guitar to be auctioned by Martina Janeckova

On September 4th 2008, one of Jimi Hendrix’s favorite guitars, set alight on a London stage during a unique performance at Finsbury Astoria in March 1967, is to be auctioned. The guitar was a 1965 Fender Stratocaster, which is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton and Leo Tavares in 1954. Jimi Hendrix was one of the most important musicians of the 20th century. His music was influenced by blues, ballads, rock, R&B, jazz. Although he was unable to read or write music, he pioneered the possibilities of the electric guitar. After setting the guitar on fire, Hendrix had to be transported to the hospital with minor burns to his hands, while the guitar, slightly damaged, was recovered by his staff. Finally it ended in the hands of Tony Garland, his press officer, who stored it in his parent’s house. Last year it was discovered by Garland’s nephew, who offered it to be auctioned. The guitar will be auctioned among other famous rock memorabilia by the Fame Bureau in London. It has an estimated value of £500,000 ($999.000). Other staff includes Jim Morrison’s last notebook of poems. Ted Owen, director of acquisitions at the auction house, said that “Hendrix raised the bar of what could be expected and paved the way for a series of imitations that exist to this day.” Hendrix actually burnt two guitars on stage, the one to be auctioned is the first one and the only one that survived only slightly damaged. He burnt the second guitar at a festival in 1967. A previous auction of a Hendrix guitar achieved a price of $1.8 million.

by Martina Janeckova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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edited by Beata Biskova