Jerry Garcia “Wolf” Exceeds Expectations at Benefit Auction
Our first bit of news today is an update on a February story concerning Jerry Garcia’s famous “Wolf” guitar. It was announced in February that the guitar would soon be heading to auction to raise money for the Southern Poverty Law Center. The guitar was put-up for auction by philanthropist Daniel Pritzker who anonymously purchased it in 2002 for $790,000 a world record for an axe’s price tag at the time. Last night, that guitar sold at auction way past it’s projected final bid. Instead of the predicted $1 million or so, the Wolf brought it $1.9 million for the Southern Poverty Law Center, which specializes in civil rights cases and public interest litigation. The $1.9 million price tag makes “Wolf” the 3rd most-expensive guitar ever sold, putting the Stratocaster played by Bob Dylan squarely in 4th and coming-up behind John Lennon’s 1962 Gibson Acoustic-Electric and the famous Fender “Reach Out to Asia” Stratocaster signed by Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Tony Iommi, and other legends that sold for a whopping $2.7 million.
Bill Murray: The Next Big Crooner?
Bill Murray has announced his very own debut album. Working with cellist Jan Vogler, the two have created an album that explores and celebrates the intersection of music and literature. With Volger (accompanied by violinist Mira Wang and pianist Vanessa Perez), the album features Murray singing Gershwin, Henry Mancini, and selections from West Side Story as well as readings from the work of Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, and Walt Whitman. The album, titled New Worlds, is out this September via Decca Gold, but it’ll make its live debut at the Dresden Music Festival in Germany this Sunday, followed by stateside performances on July 20th in Napa and Carnegie Hall in October.
– Taylor Wallace
