Guitar Industry Has a New Superstar Propelling Sales for Many Major Manufacturers

Joe Bonamassa Blues-Rock Titan to Appear At NAMM with Sponsors Gibson, Ernie Ball, Dunlop and a Very Special Announcement with Seymour Duncan

Guitar International Crowns Bonamassa as 2011's Guitarist of the Year

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 19, 2012  -- Award-winning blues-rock sensation Joe Bonamassa is driving sales for the guitar industry and keeping the guitar alive. Bonamassa, currently the hottest new Guitar Blues Rock star on the scene, is helping great companies like Guitar Center, Gibson, Epiphone, Ernie Ball , Dunlop, Clear Sonics and Klotz Cables , all of whom have signature products with the Guitar phenom; and other companies soon to be announced. Bonamassa's style of guitar has breathed new life and excitement back into the guitar as legions of new fans are becoming familiar again with the great sound of guitar-based rock music. Over the last year, Bonamassa has become the hottest ticket around the world, selling out the greatest concert halls in America and worldwide like the Chicago Theatre, NYC's Beacon Theatre and Amsterdam's Carre Theatre. Get a free download from the album Dust Bowl: http://bitly.com/JBNAMM

Bonamassa will be attending NAMM this year supporting the companies with whom he works with multiple stops at his sponsors' booths. He will attend the convention on Saturday, January 21 and will stop by the Gibson Booth at 1:30pm (Gibson Booth #303AB) and 2:30pm (Gibson Custom Booth #C4861) to sign autographs and play a few licks. At 3:00pm , Bonamassa will be at the Seymour Duncan booth (#5561 in Hall B) for a very special announcement, and that evening he will be one of many special guests helping to celebrate Ernie Ball's 50th Anniversary Concert.
In December, Bonamassa collaborated with Dunlop, a leading manufacturer of electronic effects, picks, capos, slides, strings and other musical instrument accessories, to release the Joe Bonamassa Signature Cry Baby.

Bonamassa's popularity has been steadily rising with no end in sight. He was recently crowned 2011's Guitarist of the Year by Guitar International for his work on 2011's critically acclaimed solo album Dust Bowl (J&R Adventures) and Black Country Communion's second album 2 (J&R Adventures), world tour and DVD Live Over Europe. He was recently nominated in two categories for the 2012 Blues Music Awards: Best Blues Rock Album for Dust Bowl and Best Contemporary Blues Album for his soul covers album Don't Explain (J&R Adventures) with female powerhouse Beth Hart . He was named 2010's #1 Billboard Blues Artist with Dust Bowl debuting at #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart and #37 on Billboard's Top 200 Chart, making it his highest-selling and chart-ranking U.S. debut to date. Black Country Communion - with bandmates Glenn Hughes , Jason Bonham and Derek Sherinian - was named "Best New Band of the Last 10 Years" by VH1 Classic's That Metal Show.

After the enormous success of his 2009 sold-out concert at London's Royal Albert Hall – which included a career-changing duet with Eric Clapton – and subsequent live DVD release, Bonamassa filmed his two recent sold-out shows (Nov. 4-5) at NYC's famed Beacon Theatre. Special guests at the shows included John Hiatt , Paul Rodgers and Beth Hart. The live concert DVD and PBS special capturing the magic of both nights will be released in early 2012.

For more information, full tour schedule and tickets, go to www.jbonamassa.com .
 
SOURCE Joe Bonamassa

Singer Debbie Gibson to Appear on "Celebrity Apprentice" to Help Poor Children

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 4, 2012 -- Singer songwriter Debbie Gibson will appear on season five of Celebrity Apprentice, and has announced she will play for the charity Children International.

Celebrity Apprentice is a reality television show where celebrities compete in weekly challenges and donate any winnings to their personal charities. Every week, the celebrity contestants will work in two teams, each under the guidance of a designated project manager, to compete in business-driven tasks around New York City, using their fame, along with their proven business acumen, to win challenges.

Contestants are subjected to long hours, grueling deadlines, intellectual challenges, personality clashes, and intense scrutiny under the careful watch of Donald Trump and his advisors. The last person standing will be chosen as the Celebrity Apprentice and have the honor of delivering a $250,000 bonus check to their designated charity.

Gibson will compete to help provide 5,000 poor children in India with medical and dental care and educational support.

Children International president and CEO Jim Cook said, "Children International is fortunate to have such a dedicated supporter as Debbie Gibson. She has proven she is an ardent advocate for children living in the most extreme poverty."

Gibson, who is the youngest performer ever to write and record a number one song, has been a supporter of the U.S.-based humanitarian organization since 1991. Currently, she helps support 7-year-old Helen, her mother and five siblings living in a cemetery in Manila, Philippines. Helen and her family guard a cemetery crypt, and live on less than $11 a month. With Gibson's help, Helen and her siblings now receive medical and dental care and attend school.

Children International's programs provide poor children like Helen with medical and dental care, educational support and health education to children and youth, some whose families live on less than $1.25 a day.

About Children International:

Established in 1936, Children International is an award-winning humanitarian organization with its headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. The organization has been recognized by the Philippine and Colombian governments for its humanitarian and disaster relief work. Children International's programs help more than 340,000 children and their families in 11 countries around the world including Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Zambia, Honduras, India, the Philippines and the United States. For more information about Children International or to sponsor a child, visit http://www.children.org/. Follow Children International on Facebook and Twitter.