John Lennon’s 1971 Letter Proposing a New Band to Eric Clapton to Be Auctioned
A draft of John Lennon’s 1971 letter to Eric Clapton, in which Lennon proposed they form a new band together, is set to go to auction soon. The eight-page letter, dated September 29, 1971, includes several edits and markings. While the final version of the letter that Lennon sent to Clapton has never been seen by the public, it remains unclear how much it differs from this draft.
The letter will be auctioned by International Autograph Auctions Europe SL on December 5, with registration for bids now open. Bidding is expected to reach between €100,000 and €150,000. The letter had previously been auctioned in 2012 for €22,728, much less than its anticipated value now.
Image Courtesy: Daily Express
The letter came after Clapton had briefly performed with Lennon and Yoko Ono as part of the Plastic Ono Band in 1969, prior to the official breakup of The Beatles. Following that period, Clapton withdrew from the public eye due to his struggles with h**oin addiction. Although Lennon alluded to Clapton’s difficulties in the letter, he did not directly address them. In the letter, Lennon expressed his belief that he could help bring out a new level of greatness in Clapton’s music, suggesting that their collaboration could produce something remarkable. Lennon also proposed a band that would include Klaus Voormann, Jim Keltner, Nicky Hopkins, and Phil Spector—all of whom had played with the Plastic Ono Band at various points.
Despite the proposal, it was later revealed that Clapton had declined Lennon’s offer to form a band.
In other news, it was recently reported that Yoko Ono had been warned that John Lennon’s life was in danger before his tragic death. Lennon was murdered by obsessed fan Mark David Chapman on December 8, 1980, when he was shot outside his New York City apartment at The Dakota. A new book titled We All Shine On: John, Yoko and Me by Elliot Mintz, who was a former spokesperson and close confidant of the couple, discusses the aftermath of Lennon’s death and its impact on Ono and their two sons, Sean and Julian.
Additionally, to mark what would have been Lennon’s 84th birthday, a box set featuring “meditation mixes” of his 1973 song Mind Games was released last month.
–Silviya.Y
