To raise additional funds for the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, MSNBC.com held an exclusive online auction of a unique Gibson guitar that was autographed by all performers and presenters during a Sept. 2 benefit concert on NBC (MSNBC is a joint venture between NBC and Microsoft.). Bidding ended Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
At the conclusion of bidding, the high bid was at $30,900. Proceeds will go to the American Red Cross, which has been organizing relief efforts in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and other affected areas.
The auction began during the broadcast of “A Concert for Hurricane Relief.” The concert was headlined by four Louisiana-born musicians: Harry Connick Jr., Wynton Marsalis, Tim McGraw and Aaron Neville. The concert generated $50 million in donations for the Red Cross.
In addition, the show featured appearances by actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Lindsay Lohan, and other celebrities, including Faith Hill, John Goodman and Richard Gere.
The autographed instrument is a Les Paul Standard with a 1960’s-style neck. The guitar was donated by Nashville-based Gibson USA, and is valued at $3,248 without the autographs.
Among some of the other stars who autographed the guitar were Hilary Swank, Glenn Close, Mike Myers and Chris Tucker.
NBC's January charity broadcast to raise assistance funds for victims of the South Asia tsunami raised over $18 million and attracted over 19 million viewers.
Hundreds have died and tens of thousands of refugees have been stranded and homeless after Hurricane Katrina plowed through the Gulf Coast on Aug 29. On Thursday, Congress worked to approve $51.8 billion in aid to help victims of the tragedy.