Hertfordshire icon George Michael's famous Faith guitar goes up for auction
A guitar from music icon George Michael, who formed his beloved band Wham in Hertfordshire and spent his teenage years in the county, is going up for auction.
The guitar used by the chart-topping singer in the iconic video for Faith is going up for auction.
It is among the items belonging to the late star’s former long-serving PA included in a lot going under the hammer this autumn.
Siobhan Bailey who worked for the outspoken hit-maker for 20 years has a personal archive full of noteworthy memorabilia associated with one of the nation’s best known musicians.
While George was moving his hips to memorable effect during the video for Faith he was playing an original 1940s Gretsch Synchromatic 160 guitar.
Sworders is selling the guitar and other items at an auction titled ‘faith and fame: a personal George Michael collection’ on October 29.
Music aficionados consider Faith the turning point in George’s career when the star ditched his boy band persona into a more adult solo artist.
Released in 1987, Faith went on to sell more than 25 million copies worldwide. The title track on the album reached number one in the US charts and narrowly missed out on the top spot in the UK too.
Several replicas were later made for the Faith tour, but Sworders says it is auctioning off the original guitar. Auctioneers are anticipating that the guitar may be sold for a six-figure sum.
Siobhan who came into possession of the guitar unexpectedly died of natural causes when she was just 56. This lot is the collection of preserved archive, it also has a ring bound itinerary from a number of tours George went on with Wham and as a solo artist. They cover the early 1983 Club Fantastic Tour to the 29-date Cover to Cover Tour in 1991.
Sworders is also selling mementos from Wham!’s historic 1985 tour of China. Guy Schooling, chairman of Sworders, said: “George Michael’s work continues to resonate as powerfully today as it did during his heyday. The Faith guitar is the ‘jewel in the crown’, together with the other items from Siobhan Bailey’s collection, it tells a story of creativity, ambition and artistry on a global scale.”