Stolen Radiohead guitar returns after 19 years

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Jonny Greenwood takes Fender back on stage nearly 2 decades after its theft

Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood hit the stage this weekend with a guitar he thought he’d never see again.

It was stolen in 1995 while the band toured in the US in support of second album The Bends.

But last year, Radiohead fan site The King Of Gear heard from a reader who’d recognised the Ebony Frost Fender Telecaster Plus, and arranged its return.

The King Of Gear explains: “Someone recognised Jonny’s Telecaster as one they’d purchased in Denver, the city in which all the band’s gear was stolen on October 4, 1995. I directed them to Plank, the band’s guitar tech, and the result was that the guitar was returned to Jonny.”

Greenwood played it during his show with the London Contemporary Orchestra in Oxford over the weekend. He said: “It was a pretty awe-inspiring evening.”

Radiohead will continue studio work on their 9th album next month.

Martin Kielty
Freelance Online News Contributor

Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.