RIAA Gold 45 "white matte" award for John Denver track "Back Home Again". This single was released in Sept. 1974 and certified Gold by the RIAA on Jan. 3, 1975 for one million copies sold.*
The title track from Denver's Back Home Again album topped the Billboard Country Singles chart and rose to #5 on the Hot 100 chart, becoming his fifth top 10 hit on the main Hot 100 chart. It reached #1 on the Canadian Country chart and also charted in Australia. The song also won a 1975 Country Music Association "Song of the Year" award.
Includes MusicGoldmine.com Letter Of Authenticity
Item Highlights:
- RIAA Gold 45 white matte award
- Made in 1974/early 1975
- Presented to artist manager and concert producer
- In Good to VG condition
- All original
- "White matte" awards (obviously so-named due to the white matte used) were made from from 1964-1974
- RIAA white matte awards numbered only 5-25 plaques worldwide for any given single/album
- Award measures approx. 13" x 17"
- Great, rare collector's item for any John Denver fan
- FREE insured shipping to continental U.S.
- International shipping available
Detailed Item Description: This RIAA Gold Single "white matte" award was made in 1974/early 1975, making it about 51 years old, and becoming one of the last white mattes made (RIAA would change the style of awards to "floaters" in 1975). It is presented to The Jerry Weintraub, who was John Denver's first manager starting in 1970. Weintraub was also a concert and film producer who worked with Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, The Four Seasons, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Three Dog Night, and The Carpenters.
Despite its' 50+ year age, the award is in Good to VG condition. It does have some fairly significant wear on the wood frame and the matte shows mild toning, but the record label, presentation plate, and record disc are in very good condition. The backing paper is original with New York Frame & Picture Co. manufacturer sticker.
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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