Mooning in the Morning
Oil on canvas
9" x 12"
Signed lower right: Tom Ryan
Titled on stretcher
Framed to:13 3/4" x 16 3/4"
Provenance: From the Estate of Tommy “Snuff” Garrett.
Lot 149, Brian Lebel's Mesa Auction - January 21, 2017
Sold $2,360
Mooning in the Morning
Oil on canvas
9" x 12"
Signed lower right: Tom Ryan
Titled on stretcher
Framed to:13 3/4" x 16 3/4"
Provenance: From the Estate of Tommy “Snuff” Garrett.
Lot 149, Brian Lebel's Mesa Auction - January 21, 2017
Sold $2,360
Roy Rogers' Personal Nudie's Outfit (left)
One of Roy’s most iconic outfits, and one of his own personal favorites. Custom made for Roy Rogers by Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors of North Hollywood, California. The shirt is a bib front, gabardine, with 3 rows of green leather fringe, flying eagle on the wool plaid bib, longhorns on the collar and 6 snaps on each sleeve. The pants are brown wool, striped with white piping and foot stirrups. The scarf is colorful silk. The hat is Roy’s and bears his classic crease. (belt in photo is not part of lot) There are many photos of Roy in this classic outfit. Included in the lot is a photocopy of a photo of Roy wearing the outfit while doing tricks with his dog Bullet.
Provenance: From the Estate of Snuff Garrett.
Lot 37, Est. $5,000-8,000
Roy Rogers' Personal Eagle Boots (above)
A gift from Roy to Snuff, these red, white and blue inlaid double eagle boots are the quintessential Roy Rogers boot.
Provenance: From the Estate of Tommy “Snuff” Garrett.
Lot 38, Brian Lebel's Mesa Auction - January 21, 2017
Sold $7,670
Roy Rogers' Personal Nudie's Hat (left)
Another gift from Roy to Snuff, this Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors hat is a great example of the Roy Rogers style. Complete with a silver hat band, it was signed by Roy when he gave it to his buddy: “To Snuff / a keepsake / from RR Roy”
Provenance: From the Estate of Tommy “Snuff” Garrett.
Lot 39, Brian Lebel's Mesa Auction - January 21, 2017
Sold $4,720
Snuff Garrett's personal Edward Bohlin, Hollywood spurs with full silver overlay and Cheyenne heel bands. Gold SG initials on the center of the band. Cookie cutter rowels, and well-marked with the small football shaped "Bohlinmade" cartouche. The straps are tooled and decorated with poppy buttons, longhorn rope edge conchos and 3 piece Bohlinmade marked buckle sets. The leather has the large Bohlin shield.
Provenance: From the Estate of Tommy “Snuff” Garrett.
Lot 133, Brian Lebel's Mesa Auction - January 21, 2017
Sold $8,850
The Estate of Snuff Garrett
If you don’t know who Snuff Garret is, you need to Google him immediately. One of the greatest American music record producers of all time, Snuff wasn’t just rich and famous, he was ostentatious and hilarious, fun and funny, brilliant, quick, and as foul mouthed as a man could be. He was a hoot. And he was a cowboy.
Thomas Leslie “Snuff” Garrett was born in Dallas, Texas. He dropped out of high school, became a disc jockey in Lubbock, and went on to become the most successful record producer of the 1960s and 1970s. A few of his stable of artists included Bobby Vee, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Johnny Burnette, Del Shannon, Cher, Brenda Lee, Nancy Sinatra and countless others. He worked with Phil Spector, Carole King, Leon Russell, Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds. Snuff’s great talent was his ability to know a hit song when he heard one, and know who should sing it. He was, to everyone’s agreement, a genius in that respect.
Snuff loved music, and he loved art. Along with his music friends, and Hollywood friends, Snuff had artist friends. Olaf Wieghorst, Joe Beeler, Michael Coleman, John Hampton, Tom Ryan, Gary Niblett, Harley Brown and many others. Snuff’s home was filled with art from his cowboy artist buddies. It was also filled with movie posters. Framed original lithographs hung floor to ceiling, featuring the antics of Tom Mix, Roy Rogers, Rex Allen and the others. Every room in Snuff’s house was a testament to his many passions.
Of his many famous friends, Roy Rogers and Snuff had a particularly special relationship. Snuff grew up on Hollywood cowboys and he worshipped Roy. When, as an adult, he met and worked with Roy, the two became fast friends. Frequently Snuff referred to Roy as a “father figure.” It was clear in the way that Snuff emulated Roy (from his suits to his boots), that he had great respect for the man. They remained dear friends for life.
Snuff was an avid collector, and not given to restraint in any way. In the 1980s he bought the then-struggling Bohlin Company after Ed passed away. He has a whole lot of Bohlin buckles to show for it. He was a member of the exclusive Charlie Russell Riders, and prized his Riders collection. But the best part about Snuff’s collecting – whether gifts from famous friends, rare movie posters, silver spurs, or anything else for that matter -- is that he did it out of love. He loved this stuff, and he took great pleasure in living with it every day. Snuff’s heart was as big as his personality.
We are honored (though saddened) to offer items from the Estate of our fu*#%ing friend, Snuff Garrett. The collection is extensive and impressive, and more pieces will be offered at our June auction in Fort Worth. Many of Snuff’s collectibles are personalized, or personal, or just plain cool. Like he was.
If you’d like to learn more about Snuff Garrett, we recommend you do an Internet search for the Sept. 3, 1998 “Phoenix New Times” article about Snuff by Gilbert Garcia. It’s titled, “Happy Trails.”