Island Records ‘One Love’ Auction Raises £179,755 For NHS Charities & US Covid-19 Relief
U2 frontman Bono’s handwritten lyrics ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ went for a record £76,000.
Island Records are proud to announce that their ‘One Love Covid-19 Relief Auction’ in support of NHS Charities Together & Feeding America, which took place on Thursday, 21 May, has raised the fantastic sum of £179,755.
Hosted by the inimitable Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award-winning actor, singer, director, composer and playwright Billy Porter, the auction comprised incredible lots and one-of-a-kind donations from Island artists old and new as well as friends of the label.
The U2 lot, featuring Bono’s signed and hand-written lyrics for ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’, sold for a staggering £76,000, believed to be a world record for U2 lyrics. There was also a last-minute addition to the auction with a truly unique one-off lot from Brian Eno. Eno offered up a personal one-of-a-kind ringtone composed by him. The response from media and the public alike has been unbelievable with almost 800 people registered to bid and over 3,250 bids during the hour-long live broadcast.
Speaking about the auction Island Records President Louis Bloom says: “I’d like to thank all our amazing artists, our US counterparts at Island US and Republic, all our media partners, Omega Auctions and every last member of the Island team who have worked tirelessly to get this auction together in such a short space of time.
“I’d also like to thank every person who bid on these amazing lots or made a donation, you have made a difference and all the money we raised will aid Covid-19 relief & go direct to NHS Charities Together and Feeding America. We are living through very challenging times and to be able to come together, like we have this week, and to help those in need, has been a real honour”.
Omega Auctions have established themselves as one of the leading auction houses worldwide for music memorabilia and vinyl records over the past decade. Previous highlights from collections have included the first recording of David Bowie, original jackets from the Beatles film Help!, George Harrison’s car and items from Elvis Presley and John Lennon.
Listen to the Best of U2 on Apple Music and Spotify.
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