RIAA Gold 45 award for Elton John's classic "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" which was released on April 20, 1977. The single was certified Gold® by the RIAA on Sept. 6, 1974 for 1 million copies sold.
The track originally appeared on John's 1974 album Caribou. It was later released later as a single and rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in Canada. It was also nominated for two Grammy awards in 1975. Penned by John and Bernie Taupin, it has become one of their most enduring and well-loved songs. When remade by John with George Michael in 1991, it reached #1 in both the U.S. and U.K.
Besides celebrating this classic track, this award also has an interesting presentation since it was Uni Records (MCA) President Russ Regan who signed John to his first major label record contract (see detail below).
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Item Highlights:
- RIAA Gold 45 award with all proper components for the era: Gold frame, gold disc and gold info plate
- In VG condition with wear on frame and reddish primer showing through in some spots. Matte, disc and presentation plate in excellent condition.
- First presentation award from early 1975
- Presented to Russ Regan, the record label president who signed Elton John
- Has original backing paper with manufacturer label and all internal components appear completely original
- Known as a "floater" award because the components appear to "float" above the matte, they were made from 1975-1981
- RIAA "floater" awards numbered only 25-50 plaques worldwide for any given single/album
- Award measures 13" x 17"
- Beautiful collectors item for any Elton John fan
- FREE insured shipping to continental U.S.
- International shipping available
Detailed Item Description: This is a first presentation RIAA Gold single award that would have been manufactured in 1975 making it one of the first "floaters" made. It also makes it 44 years old.
The award is presented to Russ Regan who is notable because as President of MCA's Uni Records he signed Elton John to a record contract in 1970, leading to a lengthy series of successes. Regan passed away in 2018, at which time Elton sent the following tweet:
The award is in excellent condition with some wear on the frame that in places shows its red primer. The disc, matte and presentation plate are all in excellent condition and it has its original backing paper with Creative Glassics manufacturer label. There are a few very minor tears on the backing paper.
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 20 to 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