Our own DigitalBoy will be prowling the events all weekend with live event reports and images and new product previews here at gibson.com.

Gibson Musical Instruments will sponsor three, free musical events Saturday, July 24, all open to the public. Here's the rundown.

"Blues On Broadway" free Saturday event to feature Blues giants

Modern Blues greats Larry McCray and Little Jimmy King shoot a shot of adrenaline into the heart of Nashville as Gibson hosts the free outdoor block party, "Blues on Broadway". The event will be held 6pm to 11pm Saturday, July 24, and is open to both National Association of Musical Merchants (NAMM) trade show attendees and the general public. The free street party will also feature Michael Holloway and The Bottom Line, Rick Moore and Mr. Lucky and Rollin' and Tumblin'.

Located in front of the Planet Hollywood and the Gibson Guitar Gallery and Caf on lower Broadway, the event promises to be a highlight for what will certainly be a music-packed. Gibson weekend.

See The Beatles LIVE - well almost!
American English to Perform from the Roof of the Hard Rock

On January 30, 1969, the Beatles gave their last public performance from the rooftop of the Apple Corp. office building in London, England. Footage of the brief concert was included in their last movie, "Let It Be" but very few people actually witnessed this unannounced and impromptu live appearance. Well if you werent one of the lucky ones to actually catch this memorable event, heres your chance to relive the magic.

The world renown and critically acclaimed Beatles Tribute band, "American English" will be reenacting the excitement of that event live from the rooftop of the Hard Rock Caf in Music City USA - Nashville, TN on July 24th beginning at 7pm. American English will be performing many of the same songs as well as other well-known Beatles hits from the "Ed Sullivan" period right up to and including the "Sgt. Pepper" and "Abbey Road" days. As described by the band, it will be the "Complete Beatles Experience!"

The event is free to the public and coincides with the NAMM summer trade show that is annually held in Nashville. The Hard Rock Cafe is located on the corner of 2nd Ave and Broadway. Beatles fans will be able to see and hear the band from both streets as well as from the adjacent River Front Park. Epiphone Guitars, Gibson Strings & Accessories, the Hard Rock Caf and SouthWest Airlines are sponsors of the event, which is celebrating the introduction of the new Epiphone "John Lennon Signature Casino" guitar.

If you dont know the history behind the Epiphone Casino, heres a brief account. In 1964, Paul McCartney purchased an Epiphone Casino. Soon after, Paul used the Casino to play the memorable lead on "Ticket to Ride". In 1966 during the recording of "Revolver", John and George each acquired sunburst Casinos. It was from this point on that John chose the Casino as his main electric guitar over all other guitars for recordings, live performances, TV appearances and films.

In November 1997, a team from Epiphone visited "The Dakota" in New York to examine and document Johns Casino. As a result, and in cooperation with Yoko Ono, Epiphone proudly introduces two "Limited Edition John Lennon Casinos".

The "John Lennon 1965 Casino" is a reproduction of the guitar as John originally purchased it with the sunburst finish and stock hardware. In 1968, John had his Casino sanded down to the bare wood and finished with a thin, dull coat of lacquer. Lennon first used this new "natural" version of his Casino in 1968 during the recording sessions for "The White Album". The "John Lennon Revolution Casino" is a reproduction of the "stripped" guitar as it remains today, featuring one dull coat of lacquer, gold Grover tuners and the pickguard removed. Both guitars are equipped with Gibson Strings.

A combined total of 1,965 of these individually hand-numbered historic instruments will be produced. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each will be donated to "The BMI Foundation, Inc. for the John Lennon Scholarship Fund" which supports music education. John Lennons original Casino (serial #328393) is currently the property of the Lennon Estate and cataloged as "The Revolution Guitar".

For those of you who cant attend, Nashville radio station "Oldies 96.3" will be doing a "Live Remote" from the Hard Rock. Leading up to the event, listeners will have a chance to win a John Lennon Signature Casino and a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood in the "Ticket to Ride" promotion. To find out more, visit the Gibson Musical Instrument website at www.gibson.com or visit the American English website at www.americanenglishbeatles.com.

Gibson Customer Support teams with 3 Divisions to host Blues Jam at Gibson Cafe

Gibson Montana (Acoustics), OAI (Mandolins, Banjos, Dobros) and Gibson Strings & Accessories are joining Gibsons Customer Support team to host a free Blues Jam and product showcase on Saturday, July 24, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Broadway location of Gibson Guitar Gallery and Caf. New products from the 3 divisions will be shown. Prizes will be given away. The event is open to the public.