Letter from John Lennon to Eric Clapton Could Fetch $30,000 at Auction

The draft of a letter John Lennon wrote to Eric Clapton 41 years ago will hit the auction block in Los Angeles on December 18, Reuters reports.

"Eric, I know I can bring out something great, in fact greater in you that had been so far evident in your music," Lennon wrote in the draft, which is dated September 29, 1971. "I hope to bring out the same kind of greatness in all of us, which I know will happen if/when we get together."

Since 1968, Eric Clapton has performed or recorded with every solo member of The Beatles — and The Beatles themselves (He played lead guitar on George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" on the White Album). He performed with Lennon in 1968 at the Rock and Roll Circus and in 1969 in Toronto (See video below). Most recently, he performed on Paul McCartney's Kisses on the Bottom album, which was released earlier this year.

"There was a point in time when George Harrison thought about leaving the band and his replacement was Clapton, so this letter is a link of what could have been," said auctioneer Joe Maddalena.

Organizers of the auction, dubbed Profiles in History, expect the letter to fetch $30,000. Lennon's tooth sold for $31,200 at an auction in England last year.

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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.