B.B. King, one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time, was born on September 16, 1925. Coincidence or not, just few days after what would have been King’s 94th birthday, a guitar given to B.B. King for his 80th birthday has sold for $280,000.
The guitar was one of a lot of the musician’s iconic musical items which was recently put on sale at Julien’s Auctions’ Property from the Estate of B.B. King sale, and before the auction, Julien’s estimated the guitar’s value at $80,000 to $100,000.
It is about the black Gibson ES-345 prototype that was one of several guitars he called “Lucille.”
B.B. Kings 80th Birthday Guitar
Early in his career, King ran back into a burning nightclub to rescue his guitar, and he later learned the fire started when two men were fighting over a woman named Lucille.
The headstock has “B.B. King 80” and a crown inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and the guitar is autographed on the back. The Gipson company gave King the guitar as a gift.
B.B. King used his 80th Anniversary Lucille as his main stage guitar in his later years. He died on May 14 , 2015 at the age of 89 after suffering multiple small strokes.
A spokeswoman for the auction house, Mozell Miley-Bailey, said that the buyer wants to remain anonymous.
B.B. Kings 80th Birthday Guitar
