GUITAR CENTER SCOURS THE NATION TO CROWN THE NEXT "KING OF THE BLUES"
Annual Event Designed To Support And Aid Musicians; Nationwide Guitar Contest To Honor Music Legend Hubert Sumlin; District Competitions To Be Held Nation-Wide April 18th 2007
Guitar Center, the nation's leading musicinstrument retailer, announced "King of the Blues" '07 -- the world's largest guitar competition. Geared towards promoting players with deep passion and commitment to the craft, "King of the Blues" is an annual celebration of a genre that is the root of today's music. Registration for the event begins February 1st at Guitar Center stores across the nation. 199 locations will be holding in-store competitions this year. Following the initial in-store competitions, winners advance through store, district and regional elimination rounds before reaching the grand finals, which will take place in June. Additional information can be found at www.gckingoftheblues.com.
"'King of the Blues' is more than a talent contest," said Dustin Hinz, Manager of Event Marketing and Promotions for Guitar Center. "This is about finding someone who loves making music and helping him or her become a working artist. The Blues define today's music-- from Robert Johnson to The White Stripes and B.B. King to John Mayer, this genre forms the bulk of what people are listening to right now. By tapping into this rich and deep musical form, our goal is to find true original talent-- not clones of great guitarists, but rather great guitarists in their own right who deserve a place alongside the legends.
"This year's grand prize winner will receive:
-7 days in the studio with Grammy Award winning producer and guitaraficionado Pete Anderson
- 2007 Ford Mustang
- Gibson '59 VOS re-issue Les Paul
- 1-year Gibson endorsement deal
- Write-up in Guitar World magazine
- Gibson GA40 Amplifier
- Apple MacPro 2.66 GHz computer with 23-inch Cinema HD monitor
- $2500 Levi's Shopping spree
Esteemed musician Hubert Sumlin will be honored during this year's event through a set of interviews that will run exclusively on www.gckingoftheblues.com, and will also perform at the finals. Named one of Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitar Players of All Time," Sumlin developed a passion for the instrument at age six when he plucked one guitar string that his brother had crudely nailed to the wall of their home. Since then, Hubert has achieved iconic status as the guitarist for blues great Howlin' Wolf and has been acknowledged as a key influence by such guitar greats as Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmy Page.
"Mr. Sumlin personifies what the "King of the Blues" is all about and we're delighted that he's participating," said Dustin Hinz, Manager of Event Marketing and Promotions for Guitar Center, "We're looking for original talent, and Sumlin is an incredible example of just that."
Guitar Center is the leading United States retailer of guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment. Our retail store subsidiary presently operates 200 Guitar Center stores, with 142 stores in 50 major markets and 58 stores in secondary markets across the U.S. In addition, our Music & Arts division operates more than 95 stores specializing in band instruments for sale and rental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students. We are also the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments in the United States through our wholly owned subsidiary, Musician's Friend, Inc., and its catalogand Web site, www.musiciansfriend.com . More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company's Web site at www.guitarcenter.com .
Full list of Distric Competitions:
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA
PASADENA, CA
TEMPE, AZ
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
SEATTLE, WA
CANTON, MI
NORTH CHICAGO, IL
TWIN CITIES, MN
ENGLEWOOD, CO
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
CENTRAL DALLAS, TX
HOUSTON
HALLANDALE, FL
ATLANTA, GA
NASHVILLE, TN
ORLANDO, FL
NATICK, MA
NORTH OLMSTED, OH
SPRINGFEILD, OHB
ROOKLYN, NY
ROCKVILLE, MD
PLYMOTH MEETING, PA
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
Hi Mickie,
How are you? My name is George Tam. I run a free after school tutoring program for low-income families in Cypress Park in northeast Los Angeles. I stumbled on your blog while researching information on Guitar Center. A couple of weeks ago, one of my former students was killed by a rival gang member while riding his bike home. A week later the father of another student of mine was gunned down after picking up his granddaughter from school. Seeing this kind of violence in your community could really get your down. However, instead of focusing on the negatives, I rather focus on what we can do to help the children. Last week a couple of my students came to my program with guitars they borrowed from school. They became real excited when they learned that I play the guitar. Even though I'm just a beginner, they were anxious to learn from me. That got me thinking to myself, "Wouldn't it be great if each of them could have a guitar of their own?" What if we can mobilize volunteers who would like to teach lessons to the children once a week? Who knows....maybe some of the kids will grow up to become professional musicians someday. At the very least, it will give them something very positive and enjoyable to focus on and possibly prevent them from joining the gangs. I am thinking of writing to Guitar Center to see if they might be willing to donate some guitars to my program. I might be taking a shot at the dark, but I thought perhaps you might be able to help in some way. Maybe you know of musicians who might be willing to donate their time to teach lessons to children. Perhaps you might have connections on getting used guitars donated. Anyways, I want to thank you for your time. If you have any suggestions or could help in some way, I would appreciate it if you can email me at george_tam68@hotmail.com or reach me at my office at (323)225-5898
Here is the link to my blog:
http://doubletake4.blogspot.com/
Take care,
George
Any musicians out there willing to help some budding artists? Make my day and donate that guitar, amp or other instrument gathering dust in the corner.
Mickie
Post a Comment