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Chris Rea’s "Road To Hell" Piano Sells at Bonhams Auction

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A piano used by one of the UK’s biggest selling rock artists, Chris Rea, sold at a Bonhams auction (24 April 2006) for £6,960. The piano features in Rea’s recordings made over the last 11 years, and was bought by a concert pianist who prefers to remain anonymous.



The multi-million album-selling singer and guitarist Chris Rea found fame with his 1978 album ‘Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?’ which went gold in the US. In the late 1980s, he stormed into the UK charts with the number one hits ‘The Road to Hell’ and ‘Auberge,’ firmly establishing himself at the forefront of Britain’s rock scene.



Following a severe battle with cancer at the turn of the millennium, Rea felt compelled to return to his ‘Blues’ roots and the songs he has recorded since 2002 – featuring this piano – showcase his affinity with that style. In 2005, Rea released his final box-set album, ‘The Blue Guitars,’ which not only consists of 11 CDs and a DVD, but also includes a book featuring Rea’s own artwork inspired by his love for the Blues.



The piano was sold with a note, signed and dated by Chris Rea, who recently announced that his 2006 European tour will be his last. The note reads:



“This Yamaha C7 piano was one of two used in the Sol Mill Recoding Studio between 1995-2006. This piano was used for ‘Road to Hell’, ‘The Blue Cafe’, ‘Stony Road’, ‘La Passione’ and ‘The Blue Guitars’ (a 12 CD book of gospel blues). It was maintained and tuned constantly every 6 weeks throughout its time at the studio.”

For more details visit the Bonhams
web site.



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