Deadhead Sells Jerry Garcia's 'Wolf' for $1.9M

A guitar that Jerry Garcia played everywhere from San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom to Egypt's Great Pyramids fetched over $1.9 million at an auction Wednesday night. The Grateful Dead frontman's guitar—named Wolf—was sold at the Brooklyn Bowl, a bowling alley, restaurant, and music venue. The proceeds are earmarked for the Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Montgomery, Ala. The guitar was owned by devoted Deadhead Daniel Pritzker, a philanthropist, musician, and film director who bought the instrument in 2002 for $790,000, the AP reports.

"I've been a fan of The Dead since I was a kid, and playing this iconic guitar over the past 15 years has been a privilege," says Pritzker. "But the time is right for Wolf to do some good." SPLC President Richard Cohen says the organization is grateful Pritzker "is willing to part with this piece of music history to support the SPLC's mission fighting hate and bigotry." The auctioneer says Wolf first appeared in a 1973 New York performance the Grateful Dead gave for the Hells Angels. The instrument bears a devilish looking, cartoon-like image of a wolf's face. The 1977 film The Grateful Dead Movie was directed by Garcia and features extensive footage of the instrument. (More Jerry Garcia stories.)