Bruce Springsteen handwritten lyrics, harmonicas set for auction

Handwritten lyrics to rock legend Bruce Springsteen songs 'Thunder Road', 'For You', and 'Night' are set to hit the auction block later this month.

The sale will also include two harmonicas which were used on the original recordings of 'Thunder Road' and 'Johnny 99', when bidding kicks off on 28 October via Bonhams, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Written by Springsteen, the four-page 'Thunder Road' manuscript is in pen on ruled notebook paper, and features two different drafts of the opening verse. It is estimated to sell for somewhere between $50,000 and $70,000.

The 'For You' lyrics are also on ruled notebook paper and feature slight variations on the final version of the track, while 'Night' includes the words just as they appear on the album.


The harmonicas both come signed and dated by Mike Batlan, who worked for Springsteen as a musical instrument technician from 1973 to 1985, and feature alongside a host of The Beatles memorabilia - including two handwritten setlists from the early days of the band - which is also up for sale.

Howard Kramer, Bonhams' Senior Specialist of Music for their Popular Culture department, told Rolling Stone in a statement: "At this point, The Beatles were about to become a band in the truest sense."

"Pete Best had yet to join the band and the first Hamburg engagement was about two months out. Pretty soon, there was no looking back."


The signature guitar owned by the musician will be a part of Grammy's travelling exhibition along with the saxophones that belonged to the late Clarence Clemons - IANS