For Immediate Release

            GIBSON GUITAR TO SPONSOR LES PAUL AWARD AT 21^st ANNUAL TEC AWARDS IN NEW YORK CITY

As Recording Innovator Les Paul Turns 90, His Creative Impact Commemorated

Emeryville, CA—May 2, 2005—The Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio has announced that Gibson Guitar will once again sponsor the prestigious Les Paul Award, to be presented at the 21st Annual TEC (Technical Excellence & Creativity) Awards on October 8, 2005, at the New York Marriott Marquis. The TEC Awards is the world’s foremost event recognizing outstanding achievement in professional sound production and product design.

The TEC Awards honors excellence in 24 categories of technical and creative achievement.  The winners are selected by the subscribers of Mix, the leading trade magazine for the music and sound production industry­. Awards are presented at a black-tie ceremony attended by 700 top producers, engineers, audio manufacturers, recording artists and others.

Named for the legendary musician and inventor who will celebrate his 90th birthday in June, the Les Paul Award was established in 1991 to honor the lifetime achievements of those whose work has exemplified the creative use of recording technology. Past recipients include: Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Steely Dan, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, and other innovative artists and producers. This year’s award recipient will be announced in July.

“Les Paul has had a profound influence on the way records are made with his pioneering use of multi-tracking. Moreover, as the leading proponent of the solid body electric guitar, he has had an equally profound influence on the sound of modern music,” says Henry Juszkiewicz, chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar Corp. “No other artist approaches Les Paul’s contributions to our musical culture, and the Les Paul Award is one of the most coveted honors in the music business.”

Gibson Guitar has sponsored the Les Paul Award since 1999, and presents the honoree with a custom-built, signature Gibson Les Paul guitar. The awards ceremony will feature a video tribute, and presentation of the award by Les Paul and a celebrity presenter, followed by presentation of the guitar by Gibson’s Henry Juskiewicz. Also, at a VIP reception preceding the dinner, Gibson Audio, a division of the musical giant, will display the new Wurlitzer Digital Jukebox, the world’s most comprehensive digital music solution to date.

“We are immensely proud of our continuing association with Gibson and are honored to present an award named for one of the past century’s greatest innovators in sound and music,” says Hillel Resner, president of the Mix Foundation. “Everyone attending the TEC Awards has been inspired by Les Paul, and will be looking forward to joining him as he presents this award in his 90th year.”

As June 9, 2005, marks Les Paul’s birthday, he will be honored by the National Academy of Popular Music with a Songwriter’s Hall of Fame Award, and will also be paid tribute by celebrated music producers on June 19 at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Gibson Guitar Corporation will be participating in both events.

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Proceeds from the TEC Awards support hearing conservation programs of the House Ear Institute of Los Angeles, Hearing Education Awareness for Rockers (H.E.A.R.) of San Francisco and Sound Partners (Los Angeles), as well as numerous audio scholarship programs. For ticket or sponsorship information call (510) 985-3263 or e-mail karenTEC@aol.com, or visit www.mixfoundation.org.

The TEC Awards is presented by the Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio, a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, and sponsored by Mix, the professional audio industry's leading international monthly. Mix is published by PRIMEDIA Business Magazines & Media, producer of targeted publications, Web sites and exhibitions serving professionals in the entertainment industry and nineteen other market sectors.

Gibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins and banjos. Gibson’s digital guitar represents the biggest advance in electric guitar design in over 70 years. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, MI, and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.’s family of brands includes Epiphone, Dobro, Valley Arts, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Slingerland,  Maestro, Baldwin, Hamilton and Wurlitzer. Visit Gibson’s website at www.Gibson.com or www.gibson.com/press.

Press Contacts: Caroline Galloway/440-338-3469/caroline.galloway@gibson.com

Jane Byer/510-528-2014/jane@mixfoundation.org