Latest news with #Keithburst
Euronews
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor claims the Met has his stolen guitar
It's the sort of story that could only come from the chaotic swirl of 1970s rock 'n' roll excess. Former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor reckons the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is currently displaying his guitar – a 1959 Gibson Les Paul he says vanished in a haze of hard-living while the band recorded 'Exile on Main St.' in France. The guitar in question is no ordinary instrument. Nicknamed the 'Keithburst' thanks to early ownership by Keith Richards, it's a star in its own right. Richards famously played it during the Stones' 1964 debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. It's also been in the hands of Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. But Taylor, who replaced Brian Jones in the Stones in 1969, says it ended up with him after Richards gifted it in 1967 – and that it was later stolen. 'Mick did tell me that the guitar solo that he became quite famous for, on 'Can't You Hear Me Knocking,' was with the Les Paul that got stolen,' said Jeff Allen, Taylor's manager and publicist for decades. 'He told me he got it as a present from Keith.' Taylor left the Stones in 1974 but returned to the stage with them nearly 40 years later, reuniting for the band's 50th anniversary tour in 2012-2013. So when Taylor spotted the distinctive 'starburst' finish on a guitar featured in the Met's May announcement of a blockbuster donation, he did a double-take. The guitar was part of a 500-instrument haul given to the Met by billionaire investor and collector Dirk Ziff – who bought the Les Paul in 2016 after it failed to sell at a Christie's auction in 2004. Ziff had previously loaned it to the museum in 2019 for its 'Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll' exhibition. The museum, however, isn't entertaining claims of a rock 'n' roll robbery. 'This guitar has a long and well-documented history of ownership,' said museum spokesperson Ann Bailis, who pointed to provenance records showing the guitar went from Richards to record producer Adrian Miller in 1971. Miller died in 2006. Since then, the guitar has changed hands several times and made two public appearances – most recently as part of Ziff's high-profile donation, which the Met calls 'a landmark gift of more than 500 of the finest guitars from the golden age of American guitar making.' Taylor's camp isn't convinced. Marlies Damming, his partner and business manager, says the Met should allow independent scrutiny of the instrument. 'An independent guitar expert should be able to ascertain the guitar's provenance one way or the other,' she said in a statement. Whether the 'Keithburst' is the long-lost guitar Taylor remembers – or simply another well-loved Les Paul from a golden era of guitar-making – may now depend on whether anyone is willing to open the case. The Met says it hasn't yet been contacted directly by Taylor or his team. Until then, the guitar remains firmly in place.
Arab Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
Ex-Rolling Stone says the Met has his stolen guitar; museum denies it
LONDON, Aug 6, (AP): It's only rock 'n' roll, but it's messy. A guitar once played by two members of the Rolling Stones is at the center of a dispute between the band's former guitarist, Mick Taylor, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The 1959 Gibson Les Paul was donated to the Met as part of what the New York museum calls "a landmark gift of more than 500 of the finest guitars from the golden age of American guitar making.' The donor is Dirk Ziff, a billionaire investor and guitar collector. When the Met announced the gift in May, Taylor thought he recognized the guitar, with its distinctive "starburst' finish, as an instrument he last saw in 1971, when the Stones were recording the album "Exile on Main St.' at Keith Richards' rented villa in the south of France. In the haze of drugs and rock 'n' roll that pervaded the sessions, a number of instruments went missing, believed stolen. Now, Taylor and his team believe it has reappeared. The Met says provenance records show no evidence the guitar ever belonged to Taylor. "This guitar has a long and well-documented history of ownership,' museum spokesperson Ann Bailis said. Taylor's partner and business manager, Marlies Damming, said the Met should make the guitar "available for inspection.' "An independent guitar expert should be able to ascertain the guitar's provenance one way or the other,' she said in a statement Tuesday to The Associated Press. While its ownership is contested, there's no disputing the instrument's starring role in rock history. It was owned in the early 1960s by Keith Richards, who played it during the Rolling Stones' first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show' in 1964. The Met says that performance "ignited interest in this legendary model.' The guitar - nicknamed the "Keithburst' - was also played by guitar legends Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Taylor says he got it from Richards in 1967, two years before he joined the Stones, replacing original member Brian Jones. Jones died in 1969. Taylor left the band in 1974, reuniting with them for the Stones' 50th anniversary tour in 2012-2013. Jeff Allen, who was Taylor's manager and publicist for decades from the 1990s, said Taylor "told me he got it as a present from Keith,' and also mentioned the theft. "Mick did tell me that the guitar solo that he became quite famous for, on 'Can't You Hear Me Knocking,' was with the Les Paul that got stolen,' Allen said. The Met's records say the Les Paul was owned by Richards until 1971, when it was acquired by record producer and manager Adrian Miller, who died in 2006. The guitar has changed hands several times since then, and reappeared twice in public. It was put up for auction by Christie's in 2004, when it failed to sell. Ziff bought it in 2016, and loaned it to the Met in 2019 for an exhibition titled "Play it Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll.' It's unclear what will happen next. The Met, which plans to open a new gallery dedicated to its collection of American guitars, says it has not been contacted by Taylor or his representatives.
6 days ago
- Entertainment
A former Rolling Stone says the Met has his stolen guitar. The museum disputes it
LONDON -- It's only rock 'n' roll, but it's messy. A guitar once played by two members of the Rolling Stones is at the center of a dispute between the band's former guitarist Mick Taylor and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The 1959 Gibson Les Paul was donated to the Met as part of what the New York museum calls 'a landmark gift of more than 500 of the finest guitars from the golden age of American guitar making.' The donor is Dirk Ziff, a billionaire investor and guitar collector. When the Met announced the gift in May, Taylor thought he recognized the guitar, with its distinctive 'starburst' finish, as an instrument he last saw in 1971, when the Stones were recording the album 'Exile on Main St.' at Keith Richards' rented villa in the south of France. In the haze of drugs and rock 'n' roll that pervaded the sessions, a number of instruments went missing, believed stolen. Now, Taylor and his team believe it has reappeared. The Met says provenance records show no evidence the guitar ever belonged to Taylor. 'This guitar has a long and well-documented history of ownership,' museum spokesperson Ann Bailis said. Taylor's partner and business manager, Marlies Damming, said the Met should make the guitar 'available for inspection.' 'An independent guitar expert should be able to ascertain the guitar's provenance one way or the other,' she said in a statement Tuesday to The Associated Press. While its ownership is contested, there's no disputing the instrument's starring role in rock history. It was owned in the early 1960s by Keith Richards, who played it during the Rolling Stones' first appearance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' in 1964. The Met says that performance 'ignited interest in this legendary model.' The guitar – nicknamed the 'Keithburst' – was also played by guitar legends Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Taylor says he got it from Richards in 1967, two years before he joined the Stones, replacing original member Brian Jones. Jones died in 1969. Taylor left the band in 1974, reuniting with them for the Stones' 50th anniversary tour in 2012-2013. Jeff Allen, who was Taylor's manager and publicist for decades from the 1990s, said Taylor 'told me he got it as a present from Keith,' and also mentioned the theft. 'Mick did tell me that the guitar solo that he became quite famous for, on 'Can't You Hear Me Knocking,' was with the Les Paul that got stolen,' Allen said. The Met's records say the Les Paul was owned by Richards until 1971, when it was acquired by record producer and manager Adrian Miller, who died in 2006. The guitar has changed hands several times since then, and reappeared twice in public. It was put up for auction by Christie's in 2004, when it failed to sell. Ziff bought it in 2016, and loaned it to the Met in 2019 for an exhibition titled 'Play it Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll.' It's unclear what will happen next. The Met, which plans to open a new gallery dedicated to its collection of American guitars, says it has not been contacted by Taylor or his representatives.
STV News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- STV News
Former Rolling Stones member claims US museum has stolen his guitar
A guitar once played by two members of the Rolling Stones is at the centre of a dispute between the band's former guitarist Mick Taylor and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The 1959 Gibson Les Paul was donated to the Met as part of what the New York museum calls 'a landmark gift of more than 500 of the finest guitars from the golden age of American guitar making'. The donor is Dirk Ziff, a billionaire investor and guitar collector. When the Met announced the gift in May, Taylor thought he recognised the guitar, with its distinctive 'starburst' finish, as an instrument he last saw in 1971, when the Stones were recording the album Exile on Main St at Keith Richards's rented villa in the south of France. In the haze of drugs and rock 'n' roll that pervaded the sessions, a number of instruments went missing, believed stolen. Now, Taylor and his team believe it has reappeared. The Met says provenance records show no evidence the guitar ever belonged to Taylor. 'This guitar has a long and well-documented history of ownership,' museum spokeswoman Ann Ballis said. Taylor's partner and business manager, Marlies Damming, said the Met should make the guitar 'available for inspection'. PA Media Mick Jagger, Mick Taylor, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones perform before a crowd of nearly 250,000 fans in Hyde Park, London in 1969. 'An independent guitar expert should be able to ascertain the guitar's provenance one way or the other,' she said in a statement to The Associated Press. While its ownership is contested, there is no disputing the instrument's starring role in rock history. It was owned in the early 1960s by Keith Richards, who played it during the Rolling Stones' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. The Met says that performance 'ignited interest in this legendary model'. The guitar – nicknamed the Keithburst – was also played by guitar legends Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Taylor says he got it from Richards in 1967, two years before he joined the Stones, replacing original member Brian Jones, who died in 1969. Taylor left the band in 1974, reuniting with them for the Stones' 50th anniversary tour in 2012-2013. Jeff Allen, who was Taylor's manager and publicist for decades from the 1990s, said Taylor 'told me he got it as a present from Keith' and also mentioned the theft. 'Mick did tell me that the guitar solo that he became quite famous for, on Can't You Hear Me Knocking, was with the Les Paul that got stolen,' Allen said. The Met's records say the Les Paul was owned by Richards until 1971, when it was acquired by record producer and manager Adrian Miller who died in 2006. The guitar has changed hands several times since then, and reappeared twice in public. It was put up for auction by Christie's in 2004, when it failed to sell. Ziff bought it in 2016, and loaned it to the Met in 2019 for an exhibition titled Play it Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll. It is unclear what will happen next. The Met, which plans to open a new gallery dedicated to its collection of American guitars, says it has not been contacted by Taylor or his representatives. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Glasgow Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Former Rolling Stones member claims US museum has stolen his guitar
The 1959 Gibson Les Paul was donated to the Met as part of what the New York museum calls 'a landmark gift of more than 500 of the finest guitars from the golden age of American guitar making'. The donor is Dirk Ziff, a billionaire investor and guitar collector. When the Met announced the gift in May, Taylor thought he recognised the guitar, with its distinctive 'starburst' finish, as an instrument he last saw in 1971, when the Stones were recording the album Exile on Main St at Keith Richards's rented villa in the south of France. In the haze of drugs and rock 'n' roll that pervaded the sessions, a number of instruments went missing, believed stolen. Now, Taylor and his team believe it has reappeared. The Met says provenance records show no evidence the guitar ever belonged to Taylor. 'This guitar has a long and well-documented history of ownership,' museum spokeswoman Ann Ballis said. Taylor's partner and business manager, Marlies Damming, said the Met should make the guitar 'available for inspection'. 'An independent guitar expert should be able to ascertain the guitar's provenance one way or the other,' she said in a statement to The Associated Press. While its ownership is contested, there is no disputing the instrument's starring role in rock history. Mick Jagger, Mick Taylor, Charlie Watts, Keith Richards and Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones perform before a crowd of nearly 250,000 fans in Hyde Park, London in 1969 (Peter Kemp/AP) It was owned in the early 1960s by Keith Richards, who played it during the Rolling Stones' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. The Met says that performance 'ignited interest in this legendary model'. The guitar – nicknamed the Keithburst – was also played by guitar legends Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Taylor says he got it from Richards in 1967, two years before he joined the Stones, replacing original member Brian Jones, who died in 1969. Taylor left the band in 1974, reuniting with them for the Stones' 50th anniversary tour in 2012-2013. Jeff Allen, who was Taylor's manager and publicist for decades from the 1990s, said Taylor 'told me he got it as a present from Keith' and also mentioned the theft. 'Mick did tell me that the guitar solo that he became quite famous for, on Can't You Hear Me Knocking, was with the Les Paul that got stolen,' Allen said. The Met's records say the Les Paul was owned by Richards until 1971, when it was acquired by record producer and manager Adrian Miller who died in 2006. The guitar has changed hands several times since then, and reappeared twice in public. It was put up for auction by Christie's in 2004, when it failed to sell. Ziff bought it in 2016, and loaned it to the Met in 2019 for an exhibition titled Play it Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll. It is unclear what will happen next. The Met, which plans to open a new gallery dedicated to its collection of American guitars, says it has not been contacted by Taylor or his representatives.
