A collection of guitars, signed posters, and music-world mementoes belonging to world-renowned music promoter and producer Harvey Goldsmith CBE will be offered at Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia sale in the Knightsbridge saleroom on 5 May. The collection is made up of 41 lots, and estimates range from £200-10,000.

Harvey Goldsmith has produced concerts and live shows that are etched into rock history. He helped Roger Waters’ concepts come to life on Pink Floyd’s The Wall Tour and he was a major influence behind the reunion of Led Zeppelin in 2007. Most famously he, together with Bob Geldof, was responsible for one of the greatest events in Rock and Pop history: Live Aid. Mementoes that he collected from these events include; a Les Paul Gold Top Guitar signed at Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary Concert by stars there on the night - George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder and Dylan himself (estimate: £10,000 - 15,000), a handwritten letter and set list from Bruce Springsteen (estimate £3,000 - 5,000) and a rare signed portrait poster of David Bowie given by him to Harvey Goldsmith as a thank you present for producing his Serious Moonlight tour (£2,000 - 3,000).

Director of Bonhams’ Entertainment Memorabilia Department, Katherine Schofield said: “It is a great privilege to offer a selection of signed memorabilia that Harvey has gathered throughout his career. At his core Harvey is a lover of music, and the special relationships he formed with the greatest musicians of our time is a testament to his passion and respect of artistry and live performance. He has kept and treasured these signed items, posters and other mementoes, often given to him by the artist directly, and hopes they will give as much pleasure to others as they have done for him.”

Highlights from The Harvey Goldsmith Collection include:

The top lot of the sale is a multi-signed Les Paul Gold Top Guitar signed at Bob Dylan’s The 30th Anniversary Concert. Estimate £10,000 - 15,000.

In September 1992, Harvey Goldsmith received a phone call from Bob Dylan. Dylan was planning an important 30-year anniversary concert at Madison Square Gardens in six weeks time. Despite Dylan approaching acts himself, many would not commit - unsure that an operation of this scale could be pulled off with the team that was assembled. Dylan, fearing the worst, knew there was only one man he could call. Such is the reputation of Harvey Goldsmith that when word spread that he was promoting the event, the biggest acts of their day signed up to play. George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Chrissie Hynde, Tom Petty, Neil Young and Stevie Wonder to name just a few, all took the stage in what turned out to be one of the most important nights of Dylan’s career.

A handwritten letter and set list by Bruce Springsteen. Estimate £3,000-5,000.
Harvey first saw Bruce Springsteen in New York at the Bottom Line in the early 1970s. He was so impressed with Springsteen’s concert that upon meeting him backstage said he must perform in the UK, to which Springsteen responded, ‘This is my first time in New York let alone another country’. Two years later Harvey was promoting his show at the Hammersmith Odeon and the two have worked together ever since. The letter reads ‘Harvey said you've been a long time fan...c'mon backstage and say hi, hope to see you there. Best, Bruce Springsteen’ with a hand-drawn guitar motif. The set list, dated 28th May 2008 Manchester UK, contains 24 songs in Springsteen’s hand including Born to Run, Lonesome Day and Long Walk Home.

A large colour signed portrait poster of David Bowie 1983. Estimate: £2,000-3,000
For Goldsmith, David Bowie was one of the nicest people to work with. The first show Harvey put on for Bowie was in 1972 at the Hemel Hempstead Pavilion, one of the first concerts of Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust period. Goldsmith went on to promote tours for Bowie throughout all his creative incarnations. The signed poster was given from David to Harvey as a thoughtful keepsake following the end of the ‘Serious Moonlight’ World Tour.

Led Zeppelin/and Others: A souvenir poster for the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert, 2007. Estimate £2,000-3,000. Ahmet Ertegun was the President of Atlantic Records when he died as a result of an accident at a Rolling Stones concert in 2006. Ahmet was a huge inspiration to Harvey Goldsmith, who regarded him as his US mentor. After the memorial service, Ahmet’s widow asked Harvey to produce a tribute concert for her husband in England, including all the huge UK names signed by Ahmet to Atlantic. The deal was sealed at the post-memorial lunch when Harvey discussed the idea with his table, which included Eric Clapton, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. Clapton said he would bring Cream back together for the show. However, Plant and Page were more hesitant - Led Zeppelin had not performed together since their last tour in 1980. Eventually, Harvey persuaded Plant and Page to meet and discuss the show, and they decided they would do it, but with one stipulation: they would play a full concert and not the 30 minutes other acts had agreed to. Harvey responded with an immediate ‘Done’. On the day the concert was announced the promotion website attracted 253 million visits; the most amount of hits in any one day in the world at that time.

Eric Clapton: A custom limited edition signed Fender Stratocaster. Estimate £2,000-3,000. A double cutaway body in black finish with a white scratch plate. Signed in silver pen Eric Clapton 91 with a personalised plaque engraved To Harvey with our sincere thanks Eric and Roger 1990/91.

Live Aid: A Baseball-Style Tour Jacket Personalised for Harvey Goldsmith, 1985. Live Aid Estimate £400-600. Live Aid was a career highlight for Harvey. It was initially anticipated to raise £1 million. To this day the Band-Aid Trust receives £2-3 million each year, and directly following Live Aid a staggering £140 million was raised. A portion of the proceeds from his Live Aid mementoes will be donated to the Band Aid Trust.

There will be a photocall for this sale on 28 April at Bonhams, 101 New Bond Street with Harvey Goldsmith in attendance.

-ENDS-

Sale: Bonhams’ Entertainment Memorabilia: including property from the Harvey Goldsmith Collection Sale

Location: Montpelier Street, Knightsbridge

Date: 5 May

Enquiries:

For further information, email press@bonhams.com
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NOTES FOR EDITORS

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's largest and most renowned auctioneers, offering fine art and antiques, motor cars and jewellery. The main salerooms are in London, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, with auctions also held in Knightsbridge, Edinburgh, Paris, San Francisco and Sydney. With a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 22 countries, Bonhams offers advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full list of forthcoming auctions, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com. bonhams.com