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Maggie May soloist buys charity shop mandolin

Dan SimpsonSouth of England
BBC A man sits and smiles with a mandolin in the BBC Radio Oxford studio.BBC
Ray Jackson's mandolin collection now features eight instruments.

A rare and sought-after mandolin has sold for nearly £3,000 from a high-street charity shop.

Ray Jackson, a musician best known for his solo on Rod Stewart's 1971 hit song Maggie May, purchased the instrument from an Oxfam shop in Abingdon after it was spotted by his partner.

The mandolin, a Northfield model handmade in Missouri in the United States, had been donated to the shop about two weeks before it was sold for £2,800.

"This mandolin is beautiful - it's got a fantastic sound," Jackson said.

Getty Images Ray Jackson of Lindisfarne performs on stage at Crystal Palace Bowl, London, 2nd September 1972Getty Images
Ray Jackson, seen here playing with Lindisfarne in 1972, also played mandolin on Rod Stewart's 1971 hit Maggie May

Jackson, joint lead vocalist of folk-rock band Lindisfarne, purchased the instrument from Oxfam's Abingdon branch after it was spotted by his partner.

Jackson visited the shop the following Saturday, tried the instrument, and bought it "on the spot".

In addition to his role on Maggie May, Jackson also performed on tracks including Mandolin Wind and Farewell from Rod Stewart's album Every Picture Tells a Story.

"I'm so pleased it ended up in this shop, otherwise I wouldn't have had it. I've bought a lot of second hand things in my time, but this comes pretty high as one of the most unique."

Oxfam A man in a grey jumper and glasses plays a black and orange mandolin in front of a book case.Oxfam
Ray later returned to play his new mandolin for customers and staff in Abingdon.

Explaining how he got involved with recording Maggie May, Jackson recalls: "Rod invited me over to his house - he even sent a chauffeur for me.

"He said, 'I've got this song I want you to play on.' I hadn't realised it at the time, but the album was one of the biggest sellers of that year, and of any year since.

I was proud to be on it, even though I didn't get a credit."

Jackson returned to the Oxfam shop later to perform his iconic solo for staff and customers.

Michila Wearn, the shop's manager, said: "We put this beautiful mandolin in the cabinet a few weeks ago - we had no idea what was about to happen.

Oxfam A man poses with a woman wearing a green lanyard. He is holding a mandolin.Oxfam
Michila Wearn manages Oxfam's Abingdon branch

When Ray came in and told us what he'd played on, we couldn't believe it.

I used to sing Maggie May to my daughter to wake her up in the mornings - so for me, it was a really special moment."

It's a fantastic example of what ends up on our shelves."

Oxfam, the Oxford based humanitarian charity, said proceeds from the sale would support its humanitarian and development work.

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