Beautiful vintage 1965 black-bodied Fender Jaguar (L85679) electric guitar, signed on the body in gold paint pen by Stevie Ray Vaughan, who adds “90,” Jimmie Vaughan, Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt, and Chris Janata. With the exception of Raitt, the signatures were all obtained following a star-studded showcase at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin, on the night of August 26, 1990, a concert now remembered for the final performance of Stevie Ray Vaughan, who, upon leaving the venue in a Bell 206B helicopter, lost his life at the age of 35 when the aircraft crashed into a nearby ski hill shortly after takeoff. The Raitt signature was obtained early the next morning at a Milwaukee hotel, a few hours before news broke that Vaughan and four other passengers had perished overnight. In very good to fine condition, with expected signs of use.
The guitar is accompanied by the original hardshell carrying case in well-traveled condition, as well as additional ephemera related to the fateful Alpine Valley concert: a complete and unused ticket for the show; a ‘Support’ pass for “Eric Clapton Tour ‘90,” marked “RC” [Robert Cray] and stamped “26 Aug 90, Alpine Valley”; and a promotional ticket voucher for the concert, good for one “lawn ticket only at the Alpine Valley Box Office.” Also included is a signed letter of authenticity from Cray, which reads, in part: “This is to certify that [name withheld] was my guest at the Alpine Valley Music Theater, outside Milwaukee, WI, for a concert featuring Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Cray and Chris Janata. Following the show held on August 26, 1990…[the guitar was] signed by myself, Chris Janata, Jimmie Vaughan and Stevie Ray Vaughan.”
The consignor, a former representative at Polygram, was invited by Cray to attend an Eric Clapton concert at the Alpine Valley Music Theater on August 26, 1990, a date that included the backing support of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, The Robert Cray Band, The Memphis Horns, Chris Janata, and a special encore performance by blues legend Buddy Guy. With the Jaguar signed and the concert over, the consignor conversed with the Vaughan brothers, recalling that ‘Stevie asked Jimmie if he could have his seat on the chopper. Stevie said he was in a hurry to get back to the airport in Chicago so that he could fly back to NYC and be with girlfriend Janna Lapidus…Since Jimmie was already with his wife, Connie, they said they were fine taking the bus.’ The rest has since become history, and another tragic chapter of rock and roll music. This black Jaguar guitar, however, it exists as a unique extension to that fateful night, signed by Vaughan a few hours before his death, mere minutes after his last peerless display of guitarmanship—a rousing, night-capping sendoff of ‘Sweet Home Chicago.’ Guitars signed on the body by SRV remain exceedingly rare, with this example—signed at his final concert and, in all likelihood, the last guitar he would ever sign—easily distancing itself from all others as a cornerstone rock music artifact of the highest caliber.
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