B.B. King’s Legendary Lucille Guitar Gifted to Pope on Auction Block
The iconic blues musician B.B. King once expressed his deep respect for Pope John Paul II by gifting him one of his treasured Gibson Lucille guitars during a Vatican Christmas concert in 1997. Now, 27 years later, this special instrument is available for auction.
King famously named all his guitars Lucille as a reminder of a past event where he risked his life to save his $30 guitar from a burning building. The name also inspired one of his songs and became synonymous with the black Gibson ES-355-style guitars he played.
Source of spiritual energy
Reflecting on the moment he presented the guitar to the Pope, King said, “Being close to him is like approaching a source of spiritual energy. I gave him my guitar as a sign of respect.”
The guitar, which has never been played since it was won by a Vatican official, shows signs of oxidation due to what is believed to be King’s sweat.
Auction
Despite this, the guitar is expected to fetch between $69,860 and $80,607 at auction, which concludes on May 12 at 20:00 CEST.
For more details on this unique piece of music history, visit Catawiki.
