RIAA Gold 45 award for The 5th Dimension's "Wedding Bell Blues". This track, originally written and released by Laura Nyro, was released by The 5th Dimension in September 1969 and certified Gold by the RIAA on Dec. 5, 1969 for 500,000 copies sold. It would later be certified Platinum by the RIAA for 1 million copies sold in 1991.
The track quickly went to #1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart and also did will in Canada and U.K. The group had decided to record another Laura Nyro song after having had success with two other tracks written by her. This award has an interesting feature in that it is presented to a DJ at the New York City's WMCA, the first radio station in NYC to have played the Beatles in the U.S.
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Item Highlights:
- RIAA Gold 45 award with white matte, gold disc and gold info plate
- In VG condition with only some typical scratches on the frame
- A first presentation award from 1969
- Presented to Joe Bogart and New York City radio station WMCA
- Original back with manufacturer's sticker
- "White matte" awards (obviously so-named due to the white matte used) were made from from 1964-1974
- RIAA white matte awards from the 1960s numbered only 5-25 plaques worldwide for any given single/album
- Award measures 13" x 17"
- Beautiful and rare collector's item for 5th Dimension fan
- FREE insured shipping to continental U.S.
- International shipping available
Detailed Item Description: This RIAA Gold 45 single award is presented to DJ Joe Bogart at New York City radio station WMCA. It appears to have been made in 1969 given its certification date (white matte style awards were produced from 1964-74) and the fact that New York Frame & Picture Co. sticker has the Fulton St. address (NYF&P Co. moved to John Street sometime in 1969). This makes this award 51 years old.
The award has an original back with New York Frame & Picture Co. sticker. It is overall in VG condition considering its age. There are some typical scratches on the frame and a tear in the backing paper but the disc, matte board and presentation plate are in Excellent condition. Interesting is the distinctive Disc Award "dragon" logo engraved in the dead wax area. Disc Award made many of the gold discs found in early RIAA and other record awards.
Interested in knowing more about RIAA awards and what makes them great to add to your collection? Read our article here.
Notes on the condition of all vintage RIAA awards like this one: Please do not buy this item if you want a brand new piece of memorabilia. These are historical artifacts from the year they were produced. As a result they may show signs of wear. Frankly, if you see a 50-year-old award purported to be in 100% perfect condition, it might be too good to be true. After all, an antique should have "good' wear. If not, you might want to question the piece.
As to where they came from, they could have been displayed in record label offices, recording studios, artist manager's offices, radio stations, private collector's homes and yes, of course, possibly the artist's or songwriter's home. Typically, we don't know all the places they may have been over the years other than what we've stated in the description.
Finally, a word on photos: Our photos are zoomable so you can get a very good look. Do let us know if you want photos of any other details on our pieces and we'll be happy to provide.
*RIAA sales data source: RIAA.com