MUMBAI: Hard Rock has 80,000 reasons to celebrate its world-famous memorabilia collection this week. At the recent Icons & Idols: Rock n’ Roll Auction event at Julien’s Auctions Beverly Hills, Hard Rock International, known for its memorabilia at locations worldwide, has acquired its 80,000th piece — Elvis Presley’s 24-karat gold leaf grand piano. The most important piano to be offered from Elvis Presley’s history will join Hard Rock’s priceless collection of invaluable memorabilia pieces including handwritten lyrics, clothing and instruments from new and legendary music stars like Taylor Swift, Imagine Dragons, The Beatles, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Jimi Hendrix and many more.
“Elvis Presley’s iconic gold piano has now become a cornerstone addition to our world-famous collection, and we couldn’t be happier to celebrate such a milestone with The King’s prized possession,” said Hamish Dodds, CEO at Hard Rock International. “Hard Rock has been curating its priceless music memorabilia collection and sharing with guests around the world for more than 43 years, and Elvis’ piano is an important piece of music history that we can’t wait to share with our guests.”
Presley’s grand piano was played by the King of Rock and Roll inside a music room at his Graceland home in Memphis, Tennessee. Presley originally purchased the piano for his mother in 1955 and installed it in his new home on Audobon Street. The piano was placed into storage after Presley’s mother’s death, until Priscilla Presley decided to adorn the piano in 24-karat gold-leaf finish as a gift for the couple’s first wedding anniversary.
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“Hard Rock has a far-reaching connection to music history and we’re always looking to add show-stopping pieces to our collection, such as the King’s priceless piano,” said Jerry Fraize, director of Memorabilia for Hard Rock International and winning bidder on the piece. “While we are still deciding where this piece will reside within our properties, the front-runner at the moment would be the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa, fitting for one of the most successful casino properties in the world.”
Hard Rock Cafe, Hotel, Casino and Live venues across the country host some of the world’s most fascinating pieces of memorabilia that celebrate defining moments throughout music history. Some of the most popular and iconic pieces include Jimi Hendrix’s Gibson Flying V guitar, John Lennon’s handwritten draft of “Imagine” lyrics and The Rolling Stones’ Vox Phantom Mark III Guitar.
