Vintage guitar links football and music history
Newcastle United cup final song guitar strikes nostalgic note. Tony Henderson reports
A guitar used in recording a song which is part of Tyneside music and football history is to be sold.
It is one of two rare 1962 Fender Stratocasters, and will be offered for sale at an auction in Newcastle on June 17.
Released in 1976 to mark Newcastle United reaching the League Cup final, the song United, Newcastle United was penned by Jarrow-born singer-songwriter Mike Mason.
Players who featured were Alan Kennedy, Frank Clark, Malcolm MacDonald, Terry Hibbitt, Pat Howard, Paul Cannell and John Tudor, as well as singer Bobby Webber, who autographed some of the copies of the record. Newcastle lost the final against Manchester City 2-1.
The guitar, estimated at £6,000-£8,000, accompanied Mason throughout a career spanning thousands of performances across the country and was used extensively for songwriting, recording sessions and television appearances.
Mason, whose real name was Michael McNally, was a well-known figure on the North East club circuit and enjoyed considerable success with his family act, Mike Mason & The Little People – who were his sons Tony and Michael.
Contemporary photographs accompanying the lot include images of Mason with Newcastle United players during the recording sessions, as well as the band performing in front of Penshaw Monument (below).
A second 1962 Fender Stratocaster, estimated at £4,500-£5,500, was previously owned and played by Norman Levey, lead guitarist of Gateshead beat group The Playboys.
It comes complete with an archive of period material, including a 1965 issue of Beat Instrumental magazine, a programme from North Tyneside’s Christ Church Youth Centre and a Tyne Tees Television script featuring the band.
During the early 1960s, The Playboys built a reputation as one of the North East’s leading beat groups and were chosen by rock and roll performer Vince Taylor to act as his backing band.
The group toured France, Belgium and Holland, performing to thousands of fans and appearing on television in both Britain and Europe.
Vince Taylor, best known for his 1959 hit Brand New Cadillac, which was later covered by The Clash, enjoyed success across France and continental Europe during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Known for his leather-clad image, dramatic stage performances and increasingly eccentric behaviour, he became a cult figure within the music industry.
David Bowie later cited Taylor as an inspiration for his alter ego Ziggy Stardust.
Music journalists of the time praised The Playboys for forging their own musical identity rather than following contemporary trends, helping establish them as one of the region’s most respected groups during the height of the beat boom.
Nigel Smith, head of music at auctioneers Anderson & Garland, which is looking after the sale, said: “Vintage Fender Stratocasters from 1962 are among the most desirable electric guitars ever produced. What makes these two instruments especially appealing is the strength of their North East provenance.
“Mike Mason’s guitar played a part in the soundtrack of regional popular culture, from working men’s clubs to Newcastle United’s cup final record, while Norman Levey’s Stratocaster recalls the vibrant ‘Geordie Beat’ scene that flourished across Tyneside during the 1960s.
“These guitars are tangible pieces of North East musical history.”
The two guitars form part of Anderson & Garland’s Music Auction featuring more than 350 lots of musical instruments and equipment. The sale includes over 200 guitars by makers such as Fender, Gibson, Gretsch and PRS, alongside vintage amplifiers, brass and woodwind instruments, concertinas and Northumbrian pipes.
Public viewing takes place at Anderson House, Newcastle, on Tuesday June 16 from 10am until 3pm.