The former Rolling Stones guitarist and the Metropolitan Museum of Art disagree on the rightful ownership of a 1959 Gibson Les Paul guitar that was once played by Taylor, 76, along with his former bandmate, Keith Richards.
Taylor had last seen the guitar in 1971 when recording Exile on Main Street with the band at Richards’ villa in the South of France. The guitar, known as the “Keithburst,” named after its famed owner, was believed to be one of several guitars stolen at the time by burglars, The Times reported.
Over 50 years later, the guitar has resurfaced — but the Met denies Taylor ever owned it.
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Museum spokesperson Ann Bailis told PEOPLE in a statement: “This guitar has a long and well-documented history of ownership.”
The instrument was donated to the museum by guitar collector and billionaire Dirk Ziff in 2019. The guitar was part of Ziff’s “landmark gift of more than 500 of the finest guitars from the golden age of American guitar making” for the Met’s exhibition, Play it Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll.
“These guitars are examples of outstanding artistry and craftsmanship as well as visually powerful tools of expression and distinction,” the Museum said at the time when announcing the donation.
Taylor recognized the unique features of the guitar, such as its starburst patterns, and claimed it is his. “There are numerous photos of Mick Taylor playing this Les Paul, as it was his main guitar until it disappeared,” business manager and partner, Marlies Damming, told the New York Post’s Page Six.
“The interesting thing about these vintage Les Pauls [from the late 1950s], is that they are renowned for their flaming … which is unique, like a fingerprint.”
Mick Jagger of the rock and roll band The Rolling Stones as he performed for two capacity crowds, June 25, 1972 in Houston. Jagger (c) takes charge of a crowd of young people and really holds them spellbound for the two hour performance.
Per the Associated Press, Taylor claimed that Richards, 81, gave him the guitar in 1967. Taylor would replace former Rolling Stones member Brian Jones, who died in 1969, making his debut with the band in Hyde Park.
Richards owned it until 1971, when the late record producer and manager Adrian Miller, who represented artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, acquired it. The instrument was then passed on several times throughout the years.
Christie’s put the guitar up for auction in 2004 and failed to sell it. It was purchased by Ziff in 2016, who donated it to the Met Museum three years later.
Credit: People
