Weird Music History
The Most Expensive Guitar Ever Made
Think you know everything there is to know about music? Prepare to be blown away as we take a look at some of the most interesting, unbelievable facts about musicians and the music industry.
1. The Clash's original sticksman Terry Chimes was cured of 'serious arm pain' in 1985 by Black Sabbath's personal chiropractor. After touring with Sabbath in 1987/88, the drummer set up Chimes Chiropractic and has over 30,000 patients on file. They also do acupuncture.
2. The oldest artist to top the UK singles chart was Louis Armstrong (aged 66 years and 10 month) in 1968 with What A Wonderful World.
3. So-called 'gut strings' for acoustic Spanish guitars were originally made from the small intestines of slaughtered sheep. The production material only changed - to nylon - during World War II, when all available gut was used in the production of surgical thread for wounded soldiers. Eww!
4. Led Zeppelin didn't release singles during their heyday in the UK, and the b-side to the US release of Immigrant Song - Hey Hey What Can I Do? - was the band's only non-album release.
5. Pink Floyd performed under various monikers in their early years, including Tea Set, Sigma 6, The Screaming Abdabs and Leonard's Lodgers (after their landlord Mike Leonard - unconnected with MusicRadar Editor of the same name).
6. Johnny Cash's estate was approached by an advertising company asking for permission to use Ring Of Fire on an ad for haemorrhoid cream. The request was refused.
7. Pseudonyms used by Paul McCartney in his career include Paul Ramone, Bernard Webb, A Smith, Apollo C Vermouth, Country Hams, Percy 'Thrills' Thrillington... and, of course, The Fireman.
8. Monaco's orchestra is bigger than its army.
9. Prog rockers Emerson Lake And Palmer knew how to tour. In 1977, they had 63 roadies, including a karate instructor for drummer Carl Palmer and the band's own doctor. It's rumoured they also had a 'carpet roadie', whose job was to transport and sweep the Persian rug that Greg Lake stood on during the shows. A 70 piece orchestra joined that lot.
10. Creaky goth rocker Alice Cooper has a golf handicap of only three. Which is pretty good.
Fender made the most expensive guitar in the world. It was indeed a unique Strat that was sold in a fundraising event for the earthquake and Tsunami victims, which took place in India in 2004.
The cost of the making was only 20,000 dollars, but it reached a whopping price of $2.8 million when it was sold.
Although the making cost of the guitar was 20,000 dollars, the decorations itself reached the price of millions because there were signatures of the 19 iconic guitarists on the guitar.