Estate of Soul-Funk Singing Legend Wilson Pickett to Be Sold Sunday, April 29th

Atlanta, Ga. - The personal effects and belongings of soul music icon Wilson Pickett will be sold on Sunday, April 29th, by Four Seasons Auction Gallery, beginning at 11 am. Items will include the singer's 1974 Stutz Blackhawk vintage automobile; his Baldwin baby grand piano; hundreds of stage costumes and personal clothes; and a Fender 50th Anniversary Stratocaster electric guitar.

The “Wicked Mr. Pickett” was one of the most famous and recognizable soul singers of the 1960s and '70s, with such hits as “Mustang Sally,” “In the Midnight Hour,” “Land of 1,000

Dances” and “Funky Broadway.” He died January 19th, in Reston, Va., following a heart attack. His connection to Atlanta comes by way of his brother, Maxwell, the executor and trustee of his estate, who lives there.

“I contacted numerous auction houses about selling Wilson's estate,” Mr. Pickett said, “but Four Seasons struck me as being the most professional.” Items that won't be included in this auction, he added, are gold records and awards. “My brother certainly left behind a slew of those,” he remarked, “but they have more to do with his enduring legacy as an artist. We'll decide on them at a later date.”

The sale will still constitute a treasure trove of offerings, amassed over the entertainer's long and rich life. It is sure to attract the attention of fans, collectors, music historians, rock-themed restaurants and possibly the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland. A preview will be held the evening before the sale, on April 28th, at 6 pm, in Four Seasons' showroom, at 2075 Liddell Drive.

Items certain to pique the interest of the crowd include:
• A 1974 Stutz Blackhawk automobile. Only eight of these highly desirable, hand-made cars were imported into the U.S. from Italy that year. Pickett purchased one (for around $120,000). Others were sold to Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis. Jr., and Elvis Presley (who bought two). “They were the automobile of choice for the elite entertainers of the day,” Maxwell said. Pickett's, re-painted a rich maroon color, has been partially restored and shows just 26,000 original miles on the odometer.