Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton and more sign guitar to raise money for Jerry Donahue

The guitarist who played with Fairport Convention is struggling financially after suffering a stroke

Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton are among some of the names who have signed a guitar to help raise money for guitarist Jerry Donahue.

Donahue, who played with the folk-rock bands Fairport Convention and Fotheringay, suffered a severe stroke in 2016 and has not been able to play guitar since.

Banding together to help raise money for the respected American guitarist, 23 stars including David Gilmour and Jeff Lynne have signed a guitar that will be old at auction on December 11 in Wiltshire.

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The guitar – a signature Jerry Donahue Telecaster – is expected to sell for in the region of between £10,000 and £20,000.

Other big names who have signed the guitar include The Who‘s Pete Townshend, Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi, Dire Straits‘s Mark Knopfler and The Beach BoysBrian Wilson.

Fairport Convention bass player Dave Pegg is one of the people leading the fundraiser. He told the BBC that the stars had come together out of “respect for Jerry.”

“They recognise he’s one of the greatest guitarists in the world with a unique style,” he said. “No one else could do the multiple string bends, which is why guitar legends like Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page admire him so much.”

Since his stroke, Donahue, who lives in Los Angeles, has lost the use of the right side of his body, including his hand. He also has problems with both speech and mobility.

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Meanwhile, one of Paul McCartney‘s old school books, which contains notes and grades written in by his English literature teacher, has sold at auction for a staggering £46,800.

The exercise book, which also includes various doodles made by a young McCartney, went under the hammer for nearly ten times its original estimate at an auction of Beatles memorabilia in Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside.

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