Gibson, one of the world’s leading global guitar brands through its philanthropic arm, Gibson Gives, has, in cooperation with the Arkansas Arts Academy, prepared its Second Annual Sister Rosetta Tharpe Music Scholarship.
The Gibson music scholarship created in honor of the incomparable, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, awards a music scholarship directly every year to a high school senior as they prepare to navigate their post graduate education and future career in the music industry. The scholarship is comprised of cash grants as well instruments and gear, with each recipient receiving one acoustic or electric guitar, as well as a $5,000 cash grant to assist in their education.
This year’s scholarship was awarded to music student Luis Melchor.
“Luis is a great kid and has grown so much as a musician,” says Patrick, Music Instructor, Arkansas Art Academy. “He has an insatiable passion for music – particularly vocally, and as a guitarist. If he continues to put the time and effort into his playing, he will have a great future in music.”
Sister Rosetta Tharpe is known to all folk and blues fans as an audacious performer from Cotton Plant, Arkansas who became a gospel superstar. She fronted her own band, she was one of the first artists of note to play the iconic ‘61 Les Paul SG Custom electric guitar, she was a headlining, black female artist who toured through the segregated Jim Crow South, and she has been largely overlooked as a seminal figure in the creation of rock music. Her electrifying music predates the work of like-minded guitar legends including Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, and Elvis.
Gibson’s charitable wing Gibson Gives has raised over $4.5 million dollars and enabled $46 million in funding for key organizations through product donations and meaningful giving worldwide. For more information, visit: www.gibsongives.org.
