Atlanta, GA 12/7/2010 10:35:16 PM
Johnny Cash’s personal items have fetched over $700,000 at auction.
The ‘Fulsom Prison Blues’ singer’s possessions,
including guitars, handwritten lyrics and costumes smashed original
estimates to raise the huge sum at a Los Angeles auction over last
weekend.
After a bidding war, a blue denim jumpsuit Johnny is wearing in one of
the most famous pictures of him - where he is angrily swearing with his
middle finger at the cameramen, mid-performance – finally sold to a
Belgian collector for $50,000.
Also among the lots in the three-day auction were a Martin D-28
acoustic guitar, which Johnny had signed and wrote the first four lines
of his track 'I Walk the Line' on, which also raised $50,000.
Darren Julien, President and CEO of Julien's Auctions, who held the
sale said: “Johnny Cash is a true legend and his collectability spans
all continents.
“Bidders from around the world participated in the auction, proving that the Man in Black's legacy will forever live on.”
Another lot was a handwritten lyric sheet for a love song called ‘I
Draw the Line’ which featured the couplet: "I have often fallen to the
lure of smouldering eyes / and I've given in to the wilder side of me."
Some of the proceeds from the auction will go toward the Musicares charity, which raises money for struggling musicians.
The auction is the first major auction of Johnny’s possessions since
2004 when a sale was held to pay estate taxes after Johnny and his
wife, June Carter Cash, died in 2003. The auction raised almost $4
million.
