Guernsey?s Auction/Ebet Roberts/RedfernsWhat's the price of a pair of Willie Nelson's signature braids? High. Very high.
Two braids the 81-year-old wore about 30 years ago, when he had red hair, were sold at an auction at the Museum of Musical Instruments in Phoenix, Arizona for $37,000 this weekend, Reuters reported. The identity of the buyer was not disclosed.
They were reportedly cut during a "sobriety" party legendary country star Johnny Cash and wife June Cash threw for Nelson's friend and fellow "outlaw country" singer Waylon Jennings. Jennings died in 2002 at age 64 from diabetes complications.
"Waylon and Willie, great friends, were forever egging each other on," states the official listing for the auction, hosted by Guernsey's auction house. "Both giants in the world of American popular music, they also took every opportunity they could to share lighter moments with each other. Among the excesses of life on the road, drugs and alcohol were a part of Waylon's life until 1983, when he saw the light and gave up his cocaine habit."
"Johnny and June Cash held a 'sobriety party' for Waylon in honor of the occasion," it said. "To cheer on his friend, Willie Nelson cut off his trademark braids and gave them to his wife, Connie, who then presented them to Waylon as a gift."
Nelson and Jennings collaborated on the '70s singles "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," "Good Hearted Woman" and "I Can Get Off on You," the latter of which referenced pot, cocaine, pill and alcohol abuse.
Nelson, now gray-haired, has sported his trademark braids for decades. In 1988, Playgirl magazine dubbed him the No. 1 "sexiest country singer," saying, "Those braids just beg to be unbraided."
He has, however, occasionally appeared with his hair loose and also had a large chunk of it cut in 2010.
Also sold at the auction in Arizona—the late rock n' roll singer Buddy Holly's Ariel Cyclone motorcycle, which was bought for $450,000.
Jennings was a bassist in Holly's band. He was supposed to accompany the singer on a small chartered flight on Feb. 3, 1959 and gave up his seat on the plane to J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. It crashed, killing everyone onboard that day, which Don McLean dubbed in his iconic '71 song "American Pie" "the day the music died."