October Legends and Americana Ending November 14th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/15/2015
Bohemian Rhapsody. We Will Rock You. We Are The Champions. Those are priceless anthems, songs that millions of people “of a certain age” will forever associate with their fondest memories of young adulthood. The rock group responsible for all of these – and a number of others that achieved equivalent popularity – is the British band known as Queen.
Offered here is a single letterhead sheet from the Atlantic Tower Hotel on Chapel Street in Liverpool, England that bears the clear vintage autographs of all four early members of Queen. The names of Freddie Mercury, John Deacon, Brian May and Roger Taylor are artfully arranged on this one, flat surface. By means of their placement, the signatures effortlessly achieve an aesthetic that’s somehow reminiscent of their unique musical harmonies.
Queen had its origins in London in 1970, when guitarist May and drummer Taylor – then playing together with another band – were joined by lead vocalist and pianist Mercury; Deacon, a bassist, signed on soon thereafter to complete what is universally regarded as the true and original Queen quartet.
One mega-hit followed another through the 1970s as the band refined and promoted its musical style and its stage performances. Their success reached its acme in 1980, with the release of the band’s best-selling classic, “Another One Bites the Dust.” Queen was among the world’s top musical acts during the entire decade of the 1980s, demonstrating the enduring appeal that would ensure eventual induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (which occurred in 2001).
Sadly, although Queen’s music will live forever, the band was dealt a devastating blow with the passing of Freddie Mercury in November, 1991. Just 45 years old at the time he died, Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) succumbed to complications resulting from AIDS.
The three surviving Queen members have performed occasionally, and the group’s musical legacy remains as vibrant as ever. The very rare combination of all four original members’ autographs on a single plane, though, summons an irrepressible wave of nostalgia among rock enthusiasts, and it stands as the ne plus ultra of Queen memorabilia pieces.
The signed sheet is matted and framed – together with a “Queen – A Night At The Opera” album cover from 1975 – to form an immensely impressive 18x27 display.
Comes with full LOA from JSA.