While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Gothamist loves Clapton, we'll be going to check him out next Tuesday when he plays MSG. Last night, however, the guitar that Clapton bought in 1970 on a visit to Nashville was sold at auction for $959,500. On this same shopping trip in 1970 he purchased a total of six vintage Strats (with the going rate of about $300 a pop @ Nashville's Sho-Bud Shop). He gave one each to George Harrison, Pete Townshend and Steve Winwood. The remaining three were combined to create "Blackie", the auctioned guitar which Clapton played in the 70's and 80's (retiring it in 1985).

From Reuters:"Blackie," the Fender Stratocaster guitar Eric Clapton used on some of his biggest hits, was sold at an auction for $959,500 in New York on June 24, 2004. The Christie's auction house had expected the guitar to go for between $100,000 and $150,000. Blackie, being shown by Kerry Keane of Christie's, was among 88 guitars and other items Clapton and other musicians donated to raise money for Crossroads Center Antigua, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center Clapton founded in the West Indies.

Helpful Links:

Read more about "Blackie"

Learn more about the Crossroads Centre of Antigua, where the money from the auction went

Get tickets and see Clapton live, with the clone of his famous guitar strapped around him, next week @ MSG. He plays Monday through Wednesday.

Buy your very own miniature version of this famous guitar, for much much less than $959,500