News-Antique.com - Jun 23,2007 - ItsOnlyRockNRoll.com Auctions John Lennon’s Ivor Novello Award July 3
Since 1955, members of the “British Academy of Composers and Songwriters” have annually selected recipients of the prestigious Ivor Novello award honoring songwriting and composing excellence. The American award equivalent would be the Grammy category for “Song of the Year” and was presented to John in 1968.
Named in honor of the famous British composer, actor and playwright (1893-1951), winners truly appreciate the fact that their selection came from a cross-section of their peers. A wide array of categories, all spotlighting the songs and the songwriters, has contributed to making the annual Ivor's Award Ceremony a very intimate, integrity laden affair.
The engraved plaque reads: “JOHN LENNON - She’s Leaving Home 1967-68”. The circular base upon which the sculpted figure stands reads: “AN IVOR NOVELLO AWARD”.
The idea for the poignant ballad which appears on The Beatles landmark album, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, came to Paul McCartney after reading a February 27th, 1967 newspaper account of a missing upper class teenage girl. Incidentally, unbeknownst to McCartney at the time, The Beatles had actually met the girl, Melanie Coe, in October ‘63 when she was a dancer on “Ready Steady Go” (she can be seen with The Beatles in a photo that appears in Steve Turner’s “A Hard Day’s Write”).
“She’s Leaving Home” came to fruition very quickly as George Martin arranged and recorded the string and harp section on March 17th, then on March 20th McCartney’s lead vocal and John Lennon’s backing vocals were added. Neither Harrison nor Starr appears on the track. The Beatles were awarded three Ivor Novellos in March 1968: 1) Best British Song (musically & lyrically), “She’s Leaving Home” 2) Second Best-Selling Record Of The Year, “Hello Goodbye” and 3) Best Instrumental Theme Of The Year, “Love In The Open Air”, Paul McCartney’s theme for the film, “A Family Way”. The Beatles cumulatively won more than twenty Ivors between 1963 and 70; a remarkable achievement.
Ivor Novellos rarely come into the marketplace. The highly stylized sculpted female statuette made from solid brass is 11.25” high with a 7.75” diameter base and green felt bottom. EX.
We’ve added a photo of John Lennon with the Ivor Novello and an unidentified fan. The photo is not included with the lot and is shown here for illustration only.
The auction will focus on Original Memorabilia and Collectibles from the 1964-1969 era, authenticated Beatles group and individual’s Autographs and Handwritten Material, Original Artwork, Concert Posters, Photographs, Lithographs, Awards, Clothing, Personal Effects and Toys.
“One highlight is a previously unknown concert poster advertising The Beatles appearing at Busch Stadium in St. Louis in 1966 that is expected to bring over $50,000,” says ItsOnlyRocknRoll.com president Marc Zakarin. “The woman that consigned it obtained it from the ticket agency that sold tickets at the time and kept it in her drawer for 41 years.” ItsOnlyRocknRoll.com Auctions set the world record for the sale of a concert poster recently when a 1966 Beatles
