To help fund his Crossroads Centre Antigua recovery facility, Eric Clapton and Heritage Auctions are organizing a sizable sale of rare guitars and other artifacts. Bids are already being accepted online for the auction, which is scheduled for December 8 in Dallas. Following the star-studded 2023 edition of Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, which took place September 23 and 24 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the auction honors the Crossroads Centre’s 25th anniversary. Guitars donated and autographed by Eric Clapton and other performers who have graced the stage at the event throughout the years are among the numerous objects up for auction. Other unique items include books, posters, artwork, lyric sheets, vinyl LPs, musical instruments, and more. “The Crossroads Centre in Antigua has been helping thousands of men and women who need help with their addictions for the past 25 years. Many of these people are from the Caribbean, where there was previously little help available,” Clapton said in a statement. “Crossroads is still doing strong, but it always requires money to support those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it.
” Clapton’s 2019 Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster, which was constructed by renowned luthier Todd Krause and hand-painted by Brooklyn graffiti artist John “Crash” Matos, is one of the many highlights of the sale. At the 2019 Crossroads event in Dallas, Clapton performed on the guitar with Peter Frampton and John Mayer. Another unique guitar up for auction is a metallic blue Custom Shop Stratocaster, also made by Krause, that was signed by Eric Clapton after he performed at the 2023 festival. Three unique guitars are also up for auction: a 2007 custom-built “Blackie” Stratocaster, a Gibson 70th Anniversary Les Paul, and a Martin LX1 acoustic guitar. All three of these instruments have signatures from Eric Clapton and numerous other performers from this year’s festival. Sheryl Crow, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Stephen Stills, Mayer, Carlos Santana, Gary Clark Jr., Roger McGuinn of The Byrds, H.E.R., Jimmie Vaughan, Taj Mahal, David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos, and Joe Bonamassa were among those other stars. A Fender Stratocaster signed by Clapton and over a dozen other performers from the Jeff Beck Tribute Concert held in May at London’s Royal Albert Hall is also up for auction.
Signed guitars donated by Santana, Bonamassa, Mayer, Crow, Vince Gill, Steve Vai, and other artists are also up for grabs at the sale. A 1962 Marshall Bluesbreaker replica amp signed by Eric Clapton and Bluesbreakers band leader John Mayall is among the other memorabilia up for auction. There are also lyric sheets for the songs “Let It Rain,” “Change the World,” and “Presence of the Lord” that are signed by Clapton, a 1966 Blues Breakers album on vinyl that is signed by Mayall, and a copy of the out-of-print book BECK01 signature by the late Jeff Beck. In addition, a few musicians who haven’t performed at the Crossroads Guitar Festival but still wished to help the cause—such as Paul Stanley of KISS, Brian Setzer of The Stray Cats, and former Eagles member Don Felder—have signed guitars for the sale. Along with guitars and memorabilia, the auction is offering a few unique music-related experiences.
These include a private tour of six of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s private vaults in Cleveland, as well as a special merch package, and tours of the Martin Museum & Original Workshop in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, Gibson Garage, Custom Shop, and Artist Showroom in Nashville. A complete list of the objects up for auction can be found at HA.com. A preview show will be on public display at Heritage’s offices in New York City from November 21–22 and again from November 27–30, prior to the auction. Additionally, from December 4–8, items from the auction will be on exhibit at Heritage’s Dallas headquarters by appointment only. In unrelated Clapton news, the guitar icon has released a brand-new instrumental song called “Voice of a Child” on his social media accounts and YouTube website. The song is accompanied by a heartbreaking video that features pictures and videos of Israel’s devastating assault in the Gaza Strip in the wake of Hamas’ deadly terrorist attack on Israel. Images of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in other nations are also included in the video.
