The Gretsch Company will celebrate its 125th anniversary with a special concert on November 18 at the Highline Ballroom in New York City. The event will include a performance by the winners of Next Gretsch Greats, the company\'s unsigned artist competition, a celebrity band and surprise performances.\"It’s such an honor to host this milestone event. The anniversary celebration will allow us to recognize the four generations of Gretsch owners and performers who were – and are – passionate about great music and high-quality instruments. The concert is also a great time for us to start thinking about the next century of Gretsch Greats!”
In addition to introducing new lines of limited edition anniversary drums, guitars, and other products, The Gretsch Company conducted an online search for the world’s best unsigned bands to mark the anniversary.
Next Gretsch Greats Unsigned Artist Competition
In May, 879 musical acts from the U.S., U.K., Japan, Canada, Germany, France and Spain entered their original songs into the Next Gretsch Greats Unsigned Artist Competition. Then, music lovers from around the world listened and cast more than 55,000 votes to select the top 10 finalists.
Next, a celebrity panel of judges - including Steve Ferrone, drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Fred W. Gretsch, president of The Gretsch Company and great-grandson of the company’s founder – named the three prize winners.
Winners
In addition to the opportunity to perform live at the 125th Anniversary Concert, grand prize winner Colourslide, featuring Steve Julian on drums, won $15,000 in Gretsch drums and guitars.
Drummer Glenn Mungo and his band Lansdowne, the first prize winner from Boston, Mass., won more than $5,000 in Gretsch instruments. The second prize winner, London Egg of New York City, N.Y., since November 2007 with Phyle Wellington behind the drum kit, walked away with $1,250 in Gretsch gift certificates.
More information about The Gretsch Company’s 125th Anniversary celebrations can be found at www.gretsch125th.com.
