REMEMBERING WAYLON - AN UNPRECEDENTED AUCTION FOCUSING ON THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WAYLON JENNINGS, THE LEGENDARY OUTLAW COUNTRY MUSICIAN WHO CARVED HIS WAY TO SUPER-STARDOM
Memorable objects from Jennings’ career, plus remarkable items from many of his fellow musicians and friends including Hank Williams, John Lennon, Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Muhammad Ali
On October 5 at Phoenix's Musical Instrument Museum, auction house Guernsey’s will resurrect the aura of outlaw country megastar Waylon Jennings with the sale of many of his personal belongings. For the first time, Jennings’ legions of fans will have a chance to own a piece of musical history. The featured collection is being offered by country music legend Jessi Colter, Jennings’ wife of more than thirty years with whom he often shared the stage. The event will help bring attention to the important care provided at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
A driving force of the Outlaw Country movement that erupted in the ‘70s, Jennings rejected the conventions of country’s manufactured “Nashville Sound” and reached superstardom with his commanding baritone and stripped-down, updated honky tonk, which gave his music a gritty edge all its own. His style changed the face of country music and influenced countless musicians, as his songs consistently appeared on both Billboard’s country and pop charts throughout a career that spanned more than five decades. Jennings’ album Wanted! The Outlaws – featuring collaborations with his wife, Jessi Colter, Willie Nelson, and Tompall Glaser – peaked at No.1 on the charts and was the first country album to be certified platinum.
Throughout his career, Jennings worked with some of the music industry’s biggest names and was a member of The Highwaymen, the legendary country music supergroup comprised of four of the genre’s most well-known artists. Alongside Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson, “Ol’ Waymore” (as he was often called) toured extensively and helped transform country music from a more regional affair to the most popular musical genre in America. Early in his career, Jennings performed with Buddy Holly & The Crickets, who – at the time – were on an ambitious winter tour with early rock ‘n’ roll greats Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. It was during that tour when Jennings gave up his seat on the ill-fated flight that claimed the lives of all three headlining musicians, a date that was immortalized as “the day the music died.”
Don Was, premium producer of our generation with credits too many to number was quoted as saying, "I think Waylon reigns supreme as the innovator who incorporated rock and roll ethics and rock-and-roll rhythms into country music. We can trace him back to his early days with Buddy Holly to see where his rhythmic ideas come from, and I think we see his rebellious attitude manifested in most of the young stars in country music today. He rebelled against the rules, he sort of forsook the award show lifestyle and all the gimmickry and pageantry, simply for the purity of the music.”
Many items from fellow artists are brilliantly preserved in Jennings’ collection, which stands as a timetable and testament to his calling in life. Unpublished photographs, favorite stage outfits, instruments including a selection of Jennings’ iconic guitars, music awards and stage equipment are among the countless treasures to be sold.
Other important pieces in this remarkable collection include the original signed contract for the establishment of The Highwaymen, a handwritten letter to Jennings from John Lennon, Willie Nelson’s braids (which Willie himself famously cut off in 1983 to cheer on Jennings during his path to sobriety), and a custom pair of Nudie cowboy boots emblazoned with a white “H” for their original owner, Hank Williams Sr. Aside from items relating to fellow musicians are pieces that were important to Jennings on a deeper level, such as a pair of training gloves and a ring robe from his personal hero, Muhammad Ali, presented personally to Jennings before his fight in New Orleans against Leon Spinks. A prolific song writer, one of the most compelling sections of the event will be the presentation of Jennings’ hand-written lyrics and soulful thoughts for songs to come, penned in notebooks and on assorted pieces of paper of every description. The collection also includes an array of instruments, among which are several of Jennings’ iconic Fender guitars with his signature design.
The entire collection can be previewed at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, Arizona on October 3-4 from 10:00am to 9:00pm. The live auction will take place in two sessions on Sunday, October 5, beginning at 1:00pm.
ABOUT GUERNSEY’S:
Approaching its 40th anniversary, Guernsey's has built a reputation as an auction house known for the presentation of the most extraordinary properties. From the largest auction in history (the contents of the ocean liner S.S. United States) to vintage racing cars on to artwork from the Soviet Union, pre-Castro Cuban cigars and the $3 million McGwire baseball, the firm has few rivals when it comes to the presentation of wildly diverse art and artifacts. Guernsey's also has brought some of the most famous and intriguing personalities of the 20th Century to auction in events that captivated the world. The official Elvis Presley Auction featuring items from the Graceland Archives on to treasured items relating to the lives and careers of John F. Kennedy, Princess Diana, Jerry Garcia, John Coltrane, Dick Clark, Mickey Mantle and the Beatles were all Guernsey's events. High-quality, high-visibility projects continue to be Guernsey's forte. The Auction house is in the midst of its series of events devoted to the legendary, Holocaust-related poster collection of Dr. Hans Sachs and is currently offering one of America's finest, most historic carousels for sale. Record-setting events of exceptional collections have very much become a Guernsey's trademark.
WWW.GUERNSEYS.COM
IAN BLACKBURN – FOUNDER, LEARNABOUTWINE.COM, SOMMELIER – TASTING ARGENTINA 10/22/14
TASTING ARGENTINA 10/22/14 6:30 – 9:30PM
AT THE PENINSULA BEVERLY HILL, LA CA
Come and share the excitement, enjoy unlimited tasting, the music, appetizer foods and a robust silent auction. Learn about the wines of Argentina from the visiting producers, owners, and winemakers themselves at "Tasting Argentina".ABOUT IAN BLACKBURN:
Master of Wine Student and innovative wine industry spokesperson, Ian Blackburn drinks wine for a living. Since it was established in 1995, Ian Blackburn has worked on building Learn About Wineinto the leading source for wine education and events in Southern California. LearnAboutWine was the first business of its kind: a wine education and event website dedicated to the education, service, and enjoyment of wine.
Today LearnAboutWine has developed into Southern California’s premier company for wine education and events. Ian continues to innovate and focus on demystifying wine for everyone from the casual drinker to the potential collector. LearnAboutWine events include the wildly successful, monthly “TASTE” Series, a large-scale wine social; “PALATE BUILDER” Sensory evaluation class, VINTAGE – High end collectables tastings and LAW SCHOOL – the four week credential program that concludes with the BAR exam (Beverage Aptitude Review). Over 30,000 students in Southern California have participated in LearnAboutWine’s core class “Wine Camp,” an introduction into wine, and it is considered one of the top introduction courses in the region.
With a database of over 18,000 subscribers, Ian’s following and notoriety has grown with the popularity of wine. He has taught classes at Cordon Bleu, Cal Poly Pomona, UCLA, The Learning Annex, and other prestigious universities. LearnAboutWine maintains an active calendar of classes and events offered to the public, but thrive as a source of private and corporate events. Ian’s clients range from small social clubs and church organizations, to Fortune Five Hundred companies like Amgen, Pfizer, Disney, Nestle, Deloitte, Latham Watkins, Ernest and Young, Bank of America/US Trust/Countrywide, Paul Hastings, Quinn Emanuel and KPMG.
Ian’s passion for wine and entertaining makes him one of the top spokespersons in the United States; he was trained as an educational Ambassador for the Napa Valley Vintners and the Region of Champagne, France. Ian’s expertise and entertaining ways can be heard regularly on Los Angeles radio airwaves likeKCRW, KLOS, KROQ, INDIE 103.1, 98.7 and Ian even appeared as an expert on ABC’s “The Bachelor.” Creating wine lifestyle events in order to get more people involved in the enjoyment and appreciation of wine is Ian’s forte. Commissioned by Wiley Publications to write The Pleasure of Wine in 2004, Ian is currently studying for his Masters of Wine and working on his second book at his home office in Downtown Los Angeles.
LEARN ABOUT WINE’S PHILOSOPHY
To demystify wine for everyone from the casual drinker to the potential collector. Whether it is an intimate sensory class, corporate team building exercise or a large-scale wine social, Learn About Wine is the one stop resource for education, service and enjoyment of wine.
WWW.LEARNABOUTWINE.COM