– Press Release

Gibson Guitar has announced they will support the 23rd edition of the Chicago Blues Festival in Grant Park. The Chicago Blues Festival, which takes place June 8-11, 2006 is the world’s largest free admission festival of its kind, with six stages and almost 100 sets, featuring local, national and international performers.

As part of the Blues Festival celebrations and its commitment to music education, Gibson Baldwin Music Education (GBME) will host “Blues in the Schools” and donate fifteen (15) GBME Les Paul Junior guitars to the fourth grade class at Stone Academy’s located on the North side of Chicago. The school will receive a collection of introductory musical instruments which are designed to provide beginners of all ages with a quality musical instrument and give the school the opportunity to boost its current music education program.

On Wednesday, June 7, 2006 the class will receive a special visit from the Orville Gibson 2000 Male Blues Guitarist of the Year and Magnolia Recording artist, Larry McCray. After a special performance and classroom Q & A with McCray, the students, outfitted in official Gibson T-shirts, will perform a blues song that they have learned as part of their own continuing music education. Press is invited to attend and cover.

Gibson Guitar will also sponsor the Crossroads Stage which will be host to the following acts: Thornetta Davis, Barrelhouse Chuck, The Lost Treasure of Blues, Lil Ray, Chris Beard, Duwayne Burnside and the Mississippi Mafia, Big George Brock, Super ChiKan, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Shirley Johnson, Earl Thomas, and Nolan Struck and King Edward with Jackie Bell.

In addition to the stage sponsorship, Gibson will provide music fans with the ultimate guitar experience. A “state-of-the-art” custom trailer will be on-site during the festival. The trailer will have thirteen interactive guitar stations with a combination of both Gibson and Epiphone guitars, each providing the guitar lover with their own opportunity to jam! Music fans can also register to win a new Gibson Les Paul Vixen model guitar.

Find out more at http://www.gibson.com