Gibson Foundation Unveils First Memphis Guitartown Adorned Sculptures On BB King's Birthday

GIBSON FOUNDATION UNVEILS FIRST MEMPHIS GUITARTOWN

ADORNED SCULPTURES ON BB KING’S BIRTHDAY

Memphis Visual Artists, Musicians and Businesses Support 10-ft Tall Gibson Lucille’s to

Benefit Memphis Charities

WHO:     Memphis GuitarTown Advisory Chair Pat Tigrett, Grammy Award-winner Boo Mitchell, Memphis CVB President & CEO

                Kevin Kane, Gibson Memphis GM David Winters, Martin’s Body Shop’ Tom Martin, visual artists Lamar Sorrento and            

                Brandon Marshall

WHAT:     On what would have been BB King’s 91st birthday, Gibson Foundation and GuitarTown co-sponsor Memphis CVB, will unveil the  

                  first Lucille sculptures of Memphis GuitarTown. Lamar Sorrento, known throughout the South for his bright colored paintings of blues        

                  and rock musicians; and Brandon Marshall, a Memphis native who has earned a name in graffiti and mural art, are two of the creators  

                  of these first pieces. Twenty of the 10-foot tall guitar sculptures will be strategically placed throughout the city later this year and, in

                  2017, the guitar sculptures will be auctioned off to benefit the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Memphis Charitable

                  Foundation. Tom Martin’s Body Shop and Art Center Memphis are also sponsors of Memphis GuitarTown.

WHERE:     Gibson Memphis, 145 Lt. George W. Lee Ave., Memphis, TN   38103

WHEN:      10:30 a.m., Friday September 16th

About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital:

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.  It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90 percent, and we won’t stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook (facebook.com/stjude) and following us on Twitter (@stjude).

About Memphis Charitable Foundation:

Memphis Charitable Foundation was founded in support of Memphis' legendary musicians, children's charities and the arts; focusing on performance platforms, healthcare and education. MCF's strong brands include The Blues Ball, the Jingle Bell Ball, Taking Memphis Musicians into Schools and Hospitals, Memphis Music Mondays and its newest addition, Old Man River Moonshine Ball. The Blues Ball, America's largest annual ball, has provided an arena for Memphis musicians and allowed only Memphians to grace its stages for the past 22 years. Some of these artists include: BB King, Al Green, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ann Peebles, Isaac Hayes, Sam Moore, Carla Thomas and Jason D. Williams. The Jingle Bell Ball has provided funding for special needs children and created holiday memories for over 100,000 Memphis children for 27 years. Just a few of MCF productions include lighting the Memphis "M" bridge across the Mississippi River and the "Big Dig" groundbreaking for the iconic Pyramid with over 250,000 attendees. www.memphischaritable.org

About Gibson Foundation:

Beginning its 15th year of service, the Gibson Foundation (www.GibsonFoundation.org ) strives to improve the condition of underserved youth throughout our global communities by the investment of resources, efforts and ideas in five important non-profit categories:

• Education (advocating effective innovation in knowledge development for young people, emphasizing life coping skills through creativity and imagination)
• Music & the Arts (inspiring and encouraging young people to practice individual creative expression)
• Environment (protecting young people from environmental hazards, preserving a sustainable natural world)
• Health & Welfare (ensuring the well-being and safety of young people, with an emphasis on culturally relevant, community-based supports)
• Community (strengthening organizations with similar interests and goals)