Waylon Jennings memorabilia auction set for October 5

A collection of memorabilia pertaining to country and western singer Waylon Jennings is set to cross the block at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix on October 5.

The Azcentral, a local news site, reports the auction will take place in association with Guernsey's.

The highlight of the sale is likely to be an Ariel Cyclone motorbike that once belonged to Buddy Holly.

Jennings played bass in Holly's band, the Crickets, during his last tour in 1959, and narrowly escaped being on the plane that killed Holly, Ritchie Valens and JP "The Big Bopper" Richardson.

Waylon Jennings
Jennings, along with artists like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, pioneered the outlaw country sound

He swapped his seat with the "Bopper", who was suffering from a cold.

Two surviving members of the Crickets gave him the bike as a 42nd birthday present in 1979. 

They were travelling through Texas and tracked down its new owner, bought it and left it in Jennings hotel room.

When Jennings arrived off stage following that night's show he decided to fire it up and ride it around the room (he was using large quantities of cocaine in the 1970s and 1980s).  

The sale will also include the original contract for the Highwaymen, a country super group consisting of Jennings, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson.

A pair of Willie Nelson's braids, which he cut off to encourage Jennings to stay on the wagon in the early 1980s, are also offered.

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