Ron “Pigpen” McKernan | Stage-used Wurlitzer

Property of Grateful Dead Productions

Ron “Pigpen” McKernan

Wurlitzer 120, ca. 1960s

Electric piano (39 x 20.5 x 8”). Legs included, Leo’s Music Incorporated Oakland CA sticker on back; broken key, wood a little worn. Pigpen's from the 1960's, legs included, broken key. Model number: 120. Serial number: 9869.

Pigpen’s Wurlitzer

"Big" Steve Parish: “The last remaining of his keyboards, bought by Pigpen, himself, in the mid to late 1960s. Used by Pigpen for rehearsals and gigs.” 

Given Ron “Pigpen” McKernan’s love for classic R&B, it certainly wouldn’t have escaped his attention that Ray Charles used a Wurlitzer 120 on early hits like “What I’d Say.” 

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Photo courtesy of Bill Senft/Newsday RM via Getty Images