David Gilmore is a guitarist and vocalist with Pink Floyd, and the world will remember him as the star who auctioned 120 guitars from his collection for $21 million. Try not to jump into making any conclusions.
Gilmore didn’t need the money from himself, and decided to donate the millions to fight global warming. How about that?
Gilmour is one of the most successful musicians to ever walk on this planet. His auction broke the record this year for the biggest guitar collection sold at a charity auction.
The musician was successful both as a solo star and as a member of the band. Pink Floyd was a big thing in the 80s, and the world fell in love with their progressive music, philosophical lyrics, sonic experiments, extended songs and incredible live shows.
Gilmour joined Pink Floyd as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1968. By the early 1980s, Pink Floyd became one of the greatest bands in music history. Gilmour assumed the leadership of the band in 1985, and by 2012 his band sold more than 250 million records worldwide. They disbanded in 2014.
The legend was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame and the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Gilmour earned the Outstanding Contribution title at the 2008 Q-Awards and made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
The guitarist owned the No. 14 spot on the Rolling Stone’s list of the greatest guitarists ever. Planet Rock listeners ranked him 36th in the greatest voices in rock.
The auction
Gilmour’s auction was organized at the Christie’s Auction House in New York. The guitarist sold 123 pieces. The auction was followed by 2,000 bidders in 66 countries. The collection was sold for $21,198,250 and it’s the most expensive guitar collection sold at a charity auction.
Gilmour sold guitars by Rickenbacker, Fender, Gibson, Ovation, C.F. Martin and Gretsch, and the collection included guitar cases, amps and a banjo. “The Black Strat” was sold for $3,975,000 which is a new world record for a guitar sold at an auction. It was the most popular piece at the auction.
Gilmour used The Black Strat to create Wish You Were Here, Dark Side of The Moon, The Wall and Animals.
The donation
The star donated the millions to the liberal activist group ClientEarth. It’s a non-profit organization focused on environmental law. They work to defend wildlife and their habitat. Climate change is also a priority.
According to Gilmour, global climate crisis is the biggest challenge we will ever face, and the effect of global warming will become irreversible in a few years.
Gilmour really hopes that the sale of his guitars will be enough for ClientEarth to use the law and make a change. Our children and grandchildren deserve a better world.
ClientEarth is grateful for the donation, and they admit that it went beyond their wildest expectations. James Thornton, CEO of ClientEarth, says they are deeply grateful to Gilmour for choosing the organization as beneficiary of his auction.
Hopefully, this will set a good example for other stars. We are together in this one, and we don’t have a spare planet. Remember that.
Sources:
theheartysoul.com
www.bloomberg.com
Comments