Metropolitan Museum of Art declares resolution of the long-standing mystery regarding Mick Taylor's claimed missing 1959 Gibson Les Paul guitar from The Rolling Stones.
In the halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a legendary piece of rock and roll history resides - the 1959 Gibson Les Paul guitar that graced the stage during the Rolling Stones' groundbreaking performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. Known as the "Keithburst," this iconic instrument is currently under a dispute between former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor and the museum.
The guitar was reportedly owned by Keith Richards before August 1964 and was in his possession until 1971. After this period, the guitar changed hands, passing through record producer and manager Adrian Miller, before being acquired by Dirk Ziff in 2008.
Mick Taylor claims he owned the guitar and asserts that it was stolen from him during the "Exile on Main St." recording sessions in 1971. Taylor and his legal representatives have asked the Met to allow an inspection of the guitar to confirm its provenance. However, the museum disputes Taylor's ownership claim, insisting that he never owned it, despite Taylor having played it.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art maintains that the guitar has a well-documented history of ownership, starting from its purchase at Farmers Music Store in Luton, England in March 1961. The guitar was later traded for a Gretsch Country Gentleman in late 1962 at Selmer's, before ending up in the hands of Keith Richards.
Richards himself was involved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Play It Loud exhibition, sitting for an interview and loaning other instruments and gear to the exhibit. The guitar was donated by Ziff to the museum in 2024, where it can be found today. In 2019, Ziff loaned the guitar to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Play It Loud exhibition, which was later moved to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
This dispute between Mick Taylor and the Metropolitan Museum of Art remains unresolved, with Taylor's representatives yet to comment on the matter. The guitar, the "Keithburst," continues to be a symbol of the enduring allure of the Rolling Stones and the golden age of rock and roll.
Read also:
- Exploring Advanced Methods in Creating Virtual Reality Applications
- US Television Embraces FLOKI's Valhalla MMORPG, Honoring a 60-Day Nationwide Advertising Campaign
- List of Nintendo's Owned Companies and Investments: An Overview of Subsidiaries and Financial Links
- Weekly News Update: Samsung's Tri-Fold Device Unveiled for This Year, Skyrocketing Sales of Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, Major Leak of Pixel 10, and Further Developments
