This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/17/2021
Offered is an RIAA Gold Record Award for Deep Purple's 1973 single “Smoke on the Water.” The song was released in May 1973 and certified gold on August 28, 1973. The offered award is the period white linen matte style, and its plaque reads “Presented to Ritchie Blackmore to Commemorate the Sale of More Than One Million Copies of the Warner Bros. Records Pop Single Record 'Smoke on the Water,'” The song was part of the 1972 album Machine Head, but was not released as a single more than a year later. It rocketed up the charts to #4 and propelled the album into the Top 10. The song recounts the events of December 4, 1971, when a flare gun fired by a fan during a Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention concert in Motreaux, Switzerland burned the Montreaux Casino to the ground. As smoke from the fire spread out across Lake Geneva, Ritchie Blackmore and the rest of Deep Purple watched and were inspired from their nearby hotel. There are few classic rock songs, and classic guitar riffs, that are as universally recognized and adored by music fans around the world. The award measures 13 x 17 inches and presents with minor wear to the wooden frame and some mild staining on the white linen matte. Near Mint condition.