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| Mel Belli |
Birmingham Post
April 18, 2007
Stones' old contract up for auction
By Joanna Geary
Worcester may not have the most rock and roll image, but the cathedral town can now claim to have helped forge the career of one of Britain's most successful bands.
An original 1963 contract for the Rolling Stones to appear at the Gaumont Cinema in the city secured two half-hour performances from the band for just pounds 175.
The contract is one of 22 early 1960s Rolling Stones contracts expected to fetch about pounds 2,000 when they go on sale at Christie's South Kensington in London next Thursday.
The Worcester contract, dated September 26, 1963, was drawn up by T Thompson & A Smith Promotions of Reigate, Surrey.
The agency agreed to pay the Stones a total of pounds 700 for eight 30-minute performances at Worcester, Romford, Croydon and Watford between December 5 and December 8, 1963.
But, Sarah Hodgson, Christie's head of Popular Entertainment, said the pay would not have been bad for a band with just two hits at the time - Come On (which reached number 21 in the charts) and I Wanna Be Your Man (which went to number 12) Ms Hodgson said: "Actually pounds 175 for an hour's work was quite a lot of money in 1963. You have to remember that houses would have only cost a few thousand pounds.
"They were actually well paid."
The contract agrees the group would be paid within three days of the final show and, in return, the agency would "supply and pay for a grand piano and microphone equipment." It was not until 11 months after their Worcester show the group had its major breakthrough with their first number-one hit It's All Over Now.
This was quickly followed by four more number ones: Little Red Rooster, The Last Time, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction and Get Off Of My Cloud., which significantly boosted their earning potential at live performances.
Ms Hodgson said the contract, which came from a private collector, would be attractive to all aficionados of rock and pop memorabilia.
She said: "We have no doubt that they will sell, even though they are not actually signed by any of the band members - they still record a moment in history.
"If they had been signed, each contract would have been sold individually - it would have significantly increased their value."
Over 40 years on, Mick Jagger and fellow Rolling Stone, Keith Richards, are among the UK's richest men.
Richards is said to be worth around pounds 180 million, while Jagger's fortune is put at nearer pounds 200 million. This is despite the lead singer having to pay ex-wife, Jerry Hall, a divorce settlement of reportedly between pounds 7.5million and pounds 12.5 million - the 10th most expensive celebrity divorce settlement of all time.
In 2005, the band pulled in over pounds 86 million a year in sales and box office receipts alone.
Earlier this month guitarist Keith Richards hit the headlines after reportedly claiming he had snorted his father's ashes, a claim he later retracted.
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| pdog |
I'm selling one of Madonna's pubic hairs... |
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| fireontheplatter |
quote:
pdog wrote:
I'm selling one of Madonna's pubic hairs...
how much?
is that framed or unframed? |
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