I thought this one NFL team owner was just a collector of music memorabilia and it turns out he is a singer in his own band that is filled with superstar musicians.

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NFL Owners Impressive Guitar Collection & More

Steve Jennings/Getty Images
Steve Jennings/Getty Images
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It seems every time there is a legendary guitar that goes up for auction its Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay that wins the bid. Irsay has assembled one of the greatest guitar collections in the world.

Steve Jennings/Getty Images
Steve Jennings/Getty Images
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If you recognize any of the guitars in the two pictures above, the answer is yes...that is that guitar from that said legend. Below is a list of some of the rare pieces Isray has picked up:

  • Bob Dylan's 1964 Fender Stratocaster
  • David Gilmour's 1969 "The Black Strat" Fender Stratocaster
  • Eric Clapton's 1939 C.F. Martin & Co Acoustic
  • Janis Joplin's 1953 Gibson J-45 Acoustic
  • Jerry Garcia's 1979 "Tiger" guitar
  • Kurt Cobain's 1969 "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Fender Mustang
  • Prince's 1995 Yellow Cloud guitar built by Andy Beech

I just scratched the surface on Israys guitar collection because there are 23 more that will blow your mind not to mention John Lennon's 1869 "Sgt. Peppers Piano" made by John Broadwood & Sons, Paul McCartney's studio lyrics for "Hey Jude", and Ringo Starr's drum kit that was used on The Ed Sullivan Show.

 

The Jim Irsay Band

Steve Jennings/Getty Images
Steve Jennings/Getty Images
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I thought Jim Irsay just collected music memorabilia because he was a fan, I had no idea that he sang and played guitar in his own band. Irsay took his guitar/memorabilia collection out on the road and hired an impressive group of superstar musicians to perform on the tour.

Gary Miller/Getty Images
Gary Miller/Getty Images
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In the picture above Irsay has Kenny Wayne Sheppard on his left, on his right on bass is REMs Mike Mills, and back on drums is Kenny Arnoff who has played with Mellencamp, McCartney, Sting, The Rolling Stones and we could go on all day with Arnoff.

Other musicians that join Irsay and his band on stage are Hearts Ann Wilson, Buddy Guy, John Fogerty, Stephen Stills, and a slew of other top-notch performers.

The Jim Irsay band has performed at a lot of NFL functions over the years and private parties. Even enlisting John Mellencamp to sing background vocals for him on one occasion.

Boston Globe via Getty Images
Boston Globe via Getty Images
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Irsay has the money to own an NFL team so obviously, he has the money to pay the best players in the business to play in his band. There are plenty of videos of his performances on YouTube if you feel like digging in. If you ever get a chance to see his guitar collection it is a music museum in the making. Take a look at the video below:

16 Most Expensive Guitars of All Time

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