Mick Taylor shocked to find ‘stolen’ guitar at Met Museum
The intriguing tale of the missing Les Paul guitar from the Rolling Stones’ 1972 album “Exile on Main St.” has finally come to light with a surprising twist at the Met Museum. Mick Taylor, a former member of the band during the 1969-1974 era, was dumbfounded to learn that the guitar, believed to be stolen from the Stones’ French villa over 50 years ago, had somehow found its way into the museum’s collection.
According to a rock historian and Stones enthusiast, the infamous robbery at Villa Nellcôte occurred in September 1971 when the band’s instruments, including Keith Richards’ guitars, Bobby Keys’ saxophone, and Bill Wyman’s bass, were brazenly stolen by drug dealers from Marseille in broad daylight. These thieves reportedly had a financial dispute with Richards, leading to the audacious crime.
Fast forward to May of the present year, the Met Museum proudly unveiled a remarkable collection of over 500 guitars from the golden age of American guitarmaking. Among them was a 1959 sunburst Les Paul previously wielded by Keith Richards during the Stones’ performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964. This particular guitar, as revealed by Taylor’s business manager, Marlies Damming, had been sold to Taylor by Richards himself.
Damming explained that extensive photographic evidence exists of Mick Taylor using this Les Paul as his primary instrument until its mysterious disappearance. Vintage Les Paul guitars from the late 1950s are acclaimed for their distinctive flame pattern, akin to a fingerprint, making them easily identifiable and valuable to musicians. Taylor himself stated that he never received any compensation for the stolen guitar and is bewildered by how it ended up in the museum’s possession.
Despite this revelation, representatives for both the Met Museum and Dirk Ziff, the collector who generously donated the guitars, remained silent on the matter. Mick Taylor’s plight raises questions about the guitar’s journey from a infamous robbery in France to a prestigious museum in New York City.
The perplexing saga of the missing Les Paul continues, urging fans and enthusiasts alike to anticipate further developments in this music mystery. Mick Taylor’s story shines a light on the elusive nature of rock ‘n’ roll history and the unexpected turns it can take, leaving us all eagerly awaiting the truth behind this strange twist of fate. Stay tuned for more updates; only time will tell how this rock ‘n’ roll mystery ultimately unfolds.