Piano used to write Fleetwood Mac classics by Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie to be sold at auction
The piano used by Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie to write beloved tracks such as ‘Sara’ and ‘Songbird’ has been sent to auction.
The item is currently owned by singer-songwriter Robbie Patton, who boasts an impressive history with Fleetwood Mac. Most notably, Patton toured with the group in 1979 following the success of their album, Rumours, and also has a songwriting credit on ‘Hold Me’ which featured on their 1982 record, Mirage.
The bidding is currently open on the instrument on auction house Gotta Have Rock N Roll, which is set to conclude on December 6th. The current price is $50,000, but the eventual winner will likely have to pay a substantially higher fee to be granted ownership.
Patton is selling a black Grand Hamilton Piano, which was also played by iconic musicians such as Elton John and Freddie Mercury.
He says of the item: “One day, I’m in the house of Stevie and she has two pianos, one of them was this black Grand Hamilton Piano where she wrote most of her songs on. She wrote everything on the piano, she really cherished it as her own.”
Further elaborating on its history, Patton added, “Then in 1979 Fleetwood Mac took the piano on the road. Christine used it on tour. She played it all over, she even composed ‘Songbird’ from the album Rumours on this piano.”
Discussing the piano’s storied history and ownership over the years, Patton revealed that Christine McVie played the instrument while on tour throughout the early 1980s. At the end of the jaunt, it was passed back to Nicks and lived in her home.
Upon working with Nicks, Patton became besotted with the piano. Therefore, rather than ask for monetary payment for his songwriting services, the musician then instead asked if he could have the piano rather than a pay cheque, and the Fleetwood Mac singer happily obliged his request.
Once the Grand Hamilton Piano came under his stewardship, it was used by even more illustrious figures in the music industry. Patton explained: “I used to work for all the big musicians, Elton John, for four and a half years. John Reid managed Elton John and then Queen. Freddie Mercury even came by for a recording session and used the piano. Elton John used the piano. The people who have touched this piano are crazy!”
The item comes alongside a letter of authenticity signed by Patton, Nicks and McVie.
Fleetwood Mac’s new documentary
Earlier this week, it was confirmed that director Frank Marshall is set to create a new authorised documentary exploring the history of Fleetwood Mac for Apple.
The director, who has previously helmed documentaries on the likes of The Beach Boys and The Bee Gees, continued: “Fleetwood Mac somehow managed to merge their often chaotic and almost operatic personal lives into their own tale in real time, which then became legend. This will be a film about the music and the people who created it.”
At this stage, the project is yet to receive a release date or a title, but more information is expected to be revealed in due course.
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