An upright piano on which Lennon once wrote tunes for the Beatles’ iconicSgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Bandis up for auction and is expected to fetch up to $1.2 million.
The John Broadwood and Sons piano, which dates back to 1872, is believed to have been in Lennon’s possession since 1966 and was said to be his favorite, according to theGotta Have Rock and Rollauction site.
Lennon used the instrument to write hits like “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “A Day in the Life” at his Kenwood estate, which he sold in 1968 amid a divorce from first wife Cynthia Lennon.
The “Imagine” singer eventually handed the piano off to a friend, but not before adorning it with a plaque that told of its storied history, according to the auction site.
“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 plaque reads.
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Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Bandwas released in 1967, and marked a turning point for the band, who had only just started making the move from puppy love pop to something more innovative with 1966’sRevolver.
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The experimentalSgt. Pepper’s, which saw the Fab Four take on alter egos, was ranked No. 1 onRolling Stone’s list of the500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
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The piano Lennon used to write his signature solo song “Imagine” was auctioned off in 2000 to late singer George Michael for $2.1 million, according toCBS News.
Beatles memorabilia remains a hot commodity nearly 50 years after their split, with arare demo cut of “Love Me Do,”the band’s first single, selling for about$12,000 last month.
It was dropped off at a British Heart Foundation fundraising store in West Sussex, England, and was eventually auctioned off on the BHF’s eBay site.
source: people.com
