NEW YORK, 5 December 2016 – Sotheby’s New York is delighted to present A Rock & Roll Anthology: From Folk to Fury. The auction, to be held on 10 December, showcases the full breadth of Rock & Roll. From the musical instruments used to construct the melodies to some of the most influential American and British songs, to the lyrics that accompany these famous tunes, to the memorabilia from both the private and public lives of rock stars, this sale offers something for collectors and music lovers of all levels. The New York exhibition of From Folk to Fury can be appreciated through 9 December.

THE MUSIC
John Lennon’s musical companion for the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album leads the musical instruments offered in this year’s sale. A key feature of the Kenwood home he shared with his first wife Cynthia, this upright piano was used by John Lennon during one of the most productive periods of his career, in which he composed ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ and ‘A Day in the Life’. The John Broadwood and Sons cottage upright piano, is affixed with a plaque installed by John Lennon himself that reads: ‘On this piano was written: A Day in the Life, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Good Morning, Good Morning, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite and many others. John Lennon. 1971’. The Sgt. Pepper's Piano carries a presale estimate of $1.2/1.8 million.

THE LYRICS
The Original Manuscript of the Opening Lines of “Layla” by Eric Clapton is, both in the present working form and in its final form, one of Rock’s greatest ballads on unrequited love (estimate $50/70,000). Written and recorded by Eric Clapton in the late summer of 1970, the lyrics are a conscious attempt to speak to Patti Harrison, the wife of his best friend George Harrison, and the sister of his girlfriend at the time, Paula Boyd. The lyrics “what’ll you do when you get lonely” explicitly refer to Patti’s reluctance to come in and move in with Clapton. Handwritten on Thunderbird Motel stationary, with note of his home address, the manuscript being offered this December is the only known manuscript of this anthem of unrequited love. Watch Taylor Hawkins of The Foo Fighters Discuss His Appreciation For Music Memorabilia

THE LIVES OF THE FAMOUS, AND THE PRIVATE
Memorabilia from Woodstock, New York, the site of many infamous music festivals, are a visual representation of Rock & Roll in the 1960s and 70s. Opening the auction is A Group of Candid Photographs of The Band at “Big Pink”, which offers collectors and music enthusiasts an inside look into the daily lives of the great Americana band (estimate $8/12,000). The snapshots include those of Levon Helm, Garth Hudson and Rick Danko playing football, as well as a wedding-day portrait of Robbie Robertson and his wife-to-be, Dominique Bourgeois.

Nobel laureate Bob Dylan also features in several lots of A Rock & Roll Anthology. An Original Working Typescript, With Manuscript Revisions by Dylan and Rick Danko of "This Wheel's On Fire", the result of productive sessions in West Saugerties in the summer of 1967, will be offered with a pre-sale estimate of $50/70,000. One of the most well-known songs from the Basement Tape, the manuscript to ‘This Wheel’s on Fire’ combines the ingenuity of Bob Dylan’s lyrics and the thoughtful edits of Rick Danko. A Group of Seven Ink Portrait And Self-Portrait Sketches of both Bob Dylan and Joan Baez reveal the private side of the artist (estimate $30/50,000). Drawn at the Café Expresso, a stop along their motorcycle road trip through the Catskills, the drawings of the famed folk couple align beautifully with their music – those by Baez are accomplished, formal, nuanced and austere while those by Dylan are spontaneous, naïve, piercing and fearless.

An Original Hand-Painted Vinyl Awning as Displayed Above the Entrance of Hilly Kristal’s CBGB OMFUG Venue is, quite literally, the sign of a Rock & Roll destination (estimate $25/35,000). Host to American punk and New Wave artists, including Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, the Cramps and many more, CBGB was highly influential in the music scene of the 1970s. From the other side of the pond comes the God Save the Queen Jubilee Boat Banner from 1977 (estimate $20/30,000), a piece representative of the Sex Pistol’s reputation as one of England’s most controversial bands. Measuring 360 by 48 inches, the fluorescent yellow tarp promoted the release of the second single off their new album, appropriately named ‘God Save the Queen’; the banner was unfurled from the side of a barge that functioned as a concert stage as it floated down the Thames River during Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee Celebration.