Jimi Hendrix Handwritten Lyrics Lead Marvels of Modern Music Sale

Handwritten lyrics, signed albums, and original artwork from Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, and Bob Dylan all feature in this month's Marvels of Modern Music online sale at RR Auction.

Among the sale’s highlights are Jimi Hendrix’s handwritten working lyrics for his song Room Full of Mirrors. The rare manuscript (estimate: $30,000) consists of two handwritten pages on Londonderry Hotel letterhead, dating from circa March or August 1970. Written in black felt tip and titled by Hendrix at the top of each page, the song was first recorded in 1968 and revisited by Hendrix throughout his career.

Also featured is a fully signed copy of The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night album. The back cover is boldly autographed in blue ballpoint by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, one of fewer than a dozen known fully signed examples of this title (estimate: $40,000).

The sale also includes two substantial Grateful Dead collections. From the collection of Barbara Whitestone, longtime assistant to Bob Weir, is a wide-ranging archive that includes Bill Graham concert posters, the 1972 Bickershaw Festival poster, the 1978 Egyptian Tour concert program from the band's historic performances at the Giza Pyramids, an Irving Penn photograph of the group, more than sixty backstage passes, and ticket stubs.

A second collection, consigned by a longtime assistant to Jerry Garcia, includes signed artist's proof lithographs Wetlands I and Facets I, four original sketches, signed photographs, a signed Rolling Stone cover, and Garcia's signed New Year's Eve 1990 Oakland Coliseum ticket. 

Other highlights include  a George Harrison letter featuring a guitar-design sketch, and Bob Dylan’s massive original mixed-media artwork Side Tracks, a four-foot-tall work from his series based on the iconic Train Tracks image from his Drawn Blank collection (estimate: $60,000).

Marvels of Modern Music closes on June 18.