Gibson/Baldwin Moves and Grooves

Avril goes all out with North American tour

Canadian superstar Avril Lavigne is about to embark on her first headlining North American tour, the "Try to Shut Me Up Tour 2003" and she's got a stash of Gibson guitars and amps on the road with her. Look for Lavigne to storm the arenas with an SG Standard, SG Junior, Faded Flying V, Gibson Montana Blues King and Custom Shop Les Paul acoustic. Her guitars will be amplified through a Super Goldtone GA-30RV head and 4-speaker cabinet. Lavigne's debut album, Let Go, has been certified five times platinum. For a complete list of tour dates, go to www.avril-lavign.com.

Coming attraction: Presley to release new album

No, not Elvis - Lisa Marie Presley. Her debut album, To Whom It May Concern, bows in stores April 8. A Gibson Firebird VII, a couple of Les Paul Customs, an ES-335 and a Gibson Montana J-200 were featured prominently in two music videos that Presley shot with her band recently.

"This is me. This record is me. Every song is me," Presley said in a statement released through her record label. "You're going to see who I really am and not what the tabloids say or whatever anyone has to say about me." She penned most of the songs on the album, cowriting with such notable industry heavyweights as Billy Corgan, ex-frontman for Smashing Pumpkins. The first single from the album will be "Lights Out," a country-rock flavored song. Watch for Presley's band to appear on ABC's "Good Morning America" and the "Late Show with David Letterman" playing the guitars.

Top guitarist Brent Mason comes over to Gibson

Nashville session ace Brent Mason has come on board as a Gibson artist after a long association with Fender, and plans are in the works for a new Valley Arts Brent Mason Signature model. Mason will represent Gibson nationally on CD and jingle credits, as well as give Session Master classes at Gibson's Valley Arts facility in Nashville. For more information on Mason's credits, go to www.brentmason.com.

World-class Sphere Studios using Baldwin piano

Award-winning Sphere Studios, located in central London, has added a Baldwin piano to its Studio One recording facility. Some of the artists who have done sessions there recently include Christine McVie, Muse, Nitin Sawhney, Appleton (formerly with All Saints) and the Polyphonic Spree.

Gibson celebrates legacy of Woody Guthrie with father/son guitars

To commemorate the Woody Guthrie Foundation's 90th year celebration, Gibson Montana is introducing the Woody Guthrie Banner Southern Jumbo, based on the historic round-shoulder acoustic model from the 1940s; in addition, Gibson has created the Arlo Guthrie LG-2-3/4, a reproduction of the guitar Woody gave Arlo 50 years ago. The two guitars will be sold as the Woody Guthrie Father & Son set.

According to Arlo, Woody spent $70 on his LG-2, which greatly angered Mrs. Guthrie because it was a lot of money in those times. She had anticipated that he would buy a $15 toy and not a real guitar. A neighbor had asked Woody to pick up a guitar for his kid at the same time, and he was similarly flabbergasted. "My father told them, 'If you buy a kid a toy, he'll play it for a day and lose interest in a week. If you get him a real instrument, it'll never let him down and it'll be a friend for life.' Both me and the neighbor kid are still playing," Arlo commented. To read Arlo's story, go to here.

Liberace Piano on display at Baldwin Nashville Showcase

An opulent Liberace Rhinestone Baldwin SD10 Concert Grand piano will be on display at the new Baldwin Piano Showcase in Nashville beginning February 10 for a year. This was the instrument used for Liberace's last Radio City performance run in New York City. The instrument was sent to the Smithsonian in 2000 for the two-year run of the Piano 300 Show.

"Wheel of Fortune" awards Baldwin piano, Gibson guitar as prizes

A Jubilee Red custom Baldwin Model 243HPA vertical piano and a Gibson Les Paul Junior Special were prizes on the wheel when the eternally popular game show "Wheel of Fortune" taped a series of shows in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry house in January. The shows will air this week, Feb. 3-7.

Emmylou Harris wows audience at Sundance

Gibson Montana signature artist Emmylou Harris played to an enthusiastic full house during the Sundance Film Festival Jan. 19, reports cmt.com. Harris played six songs accompanied by longtime guitarist Buddy Miller and one with former producer Daniel Lanois. Highlights included her songs "Red Dirt Girl," "Michelangelo" and "I Don't Want to Talk About It" from her 2000 album Red Dirt Girl. Performance rights organization ASCAP arranged the gig.

Lucille appears in new diabetes ads with B.B. King

B.B. King and his Gibson Lucille recently shot a new video for the diabetes testing device that he endorses, the One Touch Ultra Blood Glucose Monitoring System. The man and his guitar will also appear in a series of print ads for the product. King has had the disease for 12 years but maintains a busy touring schedule, playing about 200 dates a year. He has been interviewed about his condition by the Discovery Health Channel and other media outlets, spreading the word that its possible to have diabetes and still lead an active lifestyle. For more on B.B.'s condition, go here

India.Arie plays Gibson on "American Dreams"

Watch for R&B chanteuse India.Arie to play a J-50 in an upcoming episode of NBC's nostalgia drama "American Dreams." Arie portrays activist/performer Nina Simone and will sing a song in the Vinyl Crocodile record store. A Hummingbird acoustic and Goldtone GA-15 amp will also appear in the record store scene. Arie has been nominated for four Grammy awards in urban, pop and R&B categories.

Vanessa Carlton tickles the Baldwin ivories

Hot pop chanteuse Vanessa Carlton has been touring Europe with a Baldwin GPS 3600. The tour kicked off in Paris January 27 and Carlton is playing 14 dates, ending in London on February 17.

Country artist Jennifer Hanson has hot new video

New Capitol recording artist Jennifer Hanson's video for her single, "Beautiful Goodbye," prominently features a Les Paul Junior. The video is rising quickly on Country Music Television (CMT), landing at No. 6 on the "Top Twenty Countdown" last week.

Gibson and Baldwin make splash at NAMM trade show

The Gibson and Baldwin booths were buzzing with activity during the winter NAMM (International Music Products Association) trade show, Jan. 16-19 in Anaheim, Calif. From guitars representing the classic rock of Lynyrd Skynyrd to the digital guitars of the future, Gibson rolled out a wide array of new models. Baldwin turned heads with new concept pianos in custom colors and designs, one signature model fit for the "King of Rock 'n' Roll" himself (yes, that would be Elvis). Lots of celebrities stopped by the booths to "test drive" the instruments and chat. For a photo gallery of the happenings in the Gibson booth, go here: And for the Baldwin photo gallery, go here:

Baldwin Nashville Showcase and Valley Arts Guitars open with a bang

Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell joined a group of legendary guitarists and other VIPs who stood in freezing temperatures on a downtown bridge Dec. 3 to witness a helicopter dropping a grand piano, marking the grand opening of Gibson's new Valley Arts and Baldwin retail attractions in downtown Nashville. Scotty Moore, Duane Eddy, Harold Bradley and Lee Roy Parnell were some of the axemen in attendance. A helicopter approached and hooked a line to a grand piano sitting in a parking lot behind the new Baldwin Nashville Showcase. With music from Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" blasting in the background, the piano was lifted to a height of around 100 feet. Henry Juszkiewicz, Gibson/Baldwin chairman and CEO, counted down from 10 to 0, and the piano crashed to the ground. A new Baldwin was donated to the East Nashville Center for the Creative Arts, a not-for-profit community arts school and performance venue located in historic East Nashville. For more information and photos go here.