Click Here to read more about The Tom Fontaine Elton John Collection presented in this auction.
Please Note: A portion of the proceeds from sale of the Elton John lots, 229–281, will be donated to The Elton John Aids Foundation.
Offered is an RIAA Gold Record Award for Elton John's self-titled 1970 LP. The early "white matte" style RIAA award is presented to the founder of UNI Records, Ned Tanen. The LP was certified Gold by the RIAA on February 17, 1971. The award's plaque reads: "Presented to Ned Tanen to Commemorate the Sale of More Than One Million Dollars Worth of the UNI Records Long-Playing Record Album 'Elton John,'" Elton John was Elton's first album released in the U.S., and it produced the single "Your Song" and was nominated for "Album of the Year" at the Grammys.
Ned Tanen had been an MCA talent executive since 1954 when he founded the MCA subsidiary UNI Records in 1966. He is credited for launching the careers of artists including the Strawberry Alarm Clock, Olivia Newton-John, Neil Diamond and, of course, Elton John. By 1971, the culmination of a number of mergers and acquisitions by MCA saw UNI Records and Decca Records merge to form MCA Records. He left UNI in 1970 for Universal Pictures, where he had a wildly successful career in film production.
The framed award measures 21 1/2 by 17 1/2 inches and presents only moderate wear to the frame, with some scuffs and scratches. Excellent to Mint condition.