Baldwin grand piano, which also featured on Allman Brothers’ Eat a Peach and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Street Survivors, is biggest item in Hit Factory auction
The piano heard on Derek & The Dominoes’ “Layla” and other classic rock staples is set to hit the auction block this week.
Eaton & Brennan Auctions’ Hit Factory Collection auction, starting today, features items and memorabilia from the famed New York studio, most notably the Baldwin grand piano that featured on the 1970 hit “Layla.”
“Steeped in music history, the piano bears copious markings from its use by legendary musicians, including unique scratches beneath its ‘Baldwin’ nameplate,” Eaton & Brennan Auctions said of the instrument.
“It is featured in a documentary about legendary music producer Tom Dowd, who identifies this very instrument. Dowd, a celebrated figure in the music industry, lauded this piano as his favorite for recording and even expressed a desire to take it with him wherever he went.”
The Baldwin piano originally resided at Miami’s Criteria Studios — where “Layla” was recorded — before the Hit Factory purchased it in the 1990s. The piano can also be heard on Criteria-recorded albums like the studio half of the Allman Brothers Band’s Eat a Peach, Aretha Franklin’s Young, Black and Gifted, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Street Survivors, Eric Clapton’s 461 Ocean Boulevard, and more.
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“This Baldwin grand piano is not just an instrument; it’s a staple of Southern rock history, especially from the 1970s,” the auction house continued. “Remarkably, it remains in full working condition and sounds as incredible as it did decades ago.”
Other items in the Hit Factory auction include items from John Lennon’s “final session” while recording Double Fantasy, RIAA gold and platinum record awards, and more.
