RIAA Gold 45 "white matte" award for The Doobie Brothers single "Black Water". Released on Nov. 15, 1974, the track was certified Gold by the RIAA on April 14, 1975 for one million copies sold.*
This classic Doobies track off their 1974 album What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits was written by group member Patrick Simmons, who also handled lead vocals. It became the group's first Billboard Hot 100 #1 single. It also reached #9 in Canada and #22 in Australia.
Includes MusicGoldmine.com Letter Of Authenticity
Item Highlights:
- RIAA Gold 45 award with white matte, gold disc, and gold info plate
- Presented to recording engineer
- Made in 1975
- All original, rebacked
- In VG condition
- "White matte" awards (obviously so-named due to the white matte used) were made from from approx. 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 fan of The Doobie Brothers
- FREE insured shipping to U.S. and Canada
- International shipping available
Detailed Item Description: This RIAA Gold Single award was made in 1974/early 1975, making it a approx. 52 years old. It is presented to legendary recording engineer Donn Landee, who engineered many Doobie Brothers albums. He also engineered the first eight Van Halen albums from the 1978 debut to 1988's OU812 and many other albums by artists including The Doobie Brothers, Little Feat, Michael McDonald, Montrose, James Taylor, Van Morrison, Neil Young, and more.
This award is in Very Good condition, considering its age, with wear on the wood frame as is typical. The award has been rebacked but is all original otherwise.
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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
