INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Authors: JordanGuns N' Roses guitarist Slash was appointed as Gibson's first global brand ambassadorNew Delhi:
The news of guitar-maker Gibson filing for bankruptcy came as a shock to guitar enthusiasts across the world
It is, after all, one of the most iconic guitar brands in history and used heavily by some of the biggest guitar legends
Especially when it comes to rock and blues, Gibson's guitars are as iconic as the music and the musicians themselves
From Slash in the "Sweet Child o' Mine" music video to Jimmy Page majestically holding up his red double neck, Gibson has been forever
etched in the memories of rock lovers.Started in 1904, Gibson started out with a mandolin
With blues, jazz and big band music taking fore, it soon started making guitars
And from then on, it has been a premier provider of guitars to many famous musicians
But while it made fantastic guitars, some musicians added to Gibson's legend by being loyal to the brand
And as the age of music videos kicked in, guitars came to be recognized with the artists using them the most.When you think of David
Gilmour, you cannot picture him without that shiny black Stratocaster, and similarly it is impossible to picture Queen axeman Brian May
Similarly, there is a plethora of guitarists whose names evoke images of them with their Gibsons
Here are five musicians who immortalised Gibson in music history.BB King BB King receives a cut-out of his Gibson Lucille as a birthday
gift (AFP)In the 1940's, when blues music was starting to rise to prominence, the "King" made his entry into the world of music
BB King is one of the most influential guitarists in history and can be credited with inventing guitar soling using string bends and vibrato
And many years before Eric Clapton, riding with the King was his darling Lucille, a Gibson ES-355 which was the world's first archtop
Lucille was BB King's name for all his guitars, but the Gibson was his axe of choice and in 1980, the company launched the BB King Lucille
The King of Blues, as BB King is fondly known, was also presented with a special model of the Gibson Lucille, known as the "80th Birthday
Lucille", as a birthday gift by Gibson.Elvis Presley "The King of Rock and Roll" Elvis Presley used Gibson acoustic guitarsFrom the King of
Blues, we move to the "King of Rock and Roll"
There was probably no bigger icon in the 50's than Elvis Presley, who has since become a prominent fixture in pop culture
Elvis Presley sang several hits like "Love Me Tender" and "Heartbreak Hotel" and is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded
Elvis Presley favoured using Gibson acoustic guitars and even some of their electric guitars, and Gibson's brand surely benefited from being
endorsed by one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century.Jimmy Page Jimmy Page used a Gibson double neck in
live performances of the epic "Stairway to Heaven"Cut to the 1970's and the end of the flower power era
Woodstock was over and the Beatles had broken up
And that is when the Led Zeppelin mothership landed - and how! As much as their hard hitting beats and powerful guitar riffs embodied the
era when rock and roll hit its peak, Jimmy Page in his leather pants embedded with dragons holding up his double neck Gibson and belting out
the solo to the epic "Stairway to Heaven" is an image to put to the music
As iconic as the double neck is his Gibson Les Paul, which he used to mesmerize audiences from Earls Court in London to Madison Square
Garden in New York in tunes like "Whole Lotta Love" and "Kashmir".Angus Young AC/DC guitarist Angus Young made popular the Gibson SGLead
guitarist for the Australian rock band AC/DC, Angus Young brings to mind two images - his schoolboy outfit with shorts and his Gibson SG
Jumping around the stage and doing his trademark dance move, Angus Young produced riffs like "Thunderstruck" and "Highway to Hell" on his
The band is still going strong, with its songs frequently appearing on Marvel movie soundtracks, and Angus Young has made the Gibson SG an
all-time favourite.Slash Slash poses with his collection of guitars, most of which are GibsonsGuns N' Roses announced themselves with the
1985 classic "Appetite for Destruction"
Loud and powerful, their music was symbolic of an era of debauchery
Their guitarist, Slash, became one of the most celebrated guitarists with long blues-styled solos like the ones in "Sweet Child o' Mine",
"November Rain" and "Don't Cry"
The 80's was when music videos was the emerging trend, and Gn'R cashed in heavily
"Sweet Child o' Mine" and "November Rain" were some of the most iconic music videos of their time and Slash - who played a prominent role in
all their videos - was generous in giving screen time to his Gibson Les Paul
From playing the iconic intro in the "Sweet Child" video to playing his famous solo outside an isolated Church in the middle of a desert,
Slash and his Gibson became an image etched in pop culture
Slash has also been appointed as Gibson's first global brand ambassador.
