Guitar brands, including Gibson and Heritage, offer support for guitarists affected by Tennessee tornadoes
Gear brands, musicians and labels stand in solidarity in the wake of the devastating storms.
The destroyed exterior of The Basement East is seen in the East Nashville neighborhood on 3 March, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. Image: Jason Kempin / Getty Images
Several guitar gear brands are offering support for guitarists who have been affected by the severe storms and tornado that hit central Tennessee on 3 March.
Gibson, Harmony, Heritage and Mono are among the brands that are stepping up to help victims of the disaster, while numerous organisations and artists have begun raising funds for storm relief.
Gibson offers replacement instruments
Through its Gibson Gives Guitar Recovery Plan announced yesterday (5 March), the Nashville giant aims to pair musicians who have lost their guitar – of any brand – to the storm with a replacement. These may be “demo models, prototypes or shop-worn items across Gibson’s family of guitar brands”, according to the company. Musicians who wish to apply for the programme may send an email to donation.request@gibson.com.
“Our goal is to get a guitar back into the hands of anyone who has had their guitar damaged or destroyed in the recent Tennessee storm,” said Dendy Jarrett, executive director of Gibson Gives, in a statement. “As a Nashville, Tennessee-based company, we are also engaging with our artists and other partners to provide support across many areas.”
Harmony, Mono and Heritage ready to help
Harmony, Mono and Heritage have also added their voices alongside Gibson’s. Today they posted on Instagram calling for Nashville artists to get in touch if their gear had been destroyed, damaged or lost due to the storms.
They are ready to receive requests for a helping hand via @harmonyguitars, @monocreators and @heritageguitarinc on Instagram.
See their posts here:
Artists and labels stand in solidarity
Other artists who have stepped up by helping the community or raising funds include Kacey Musgraves and Brittany Howard. Earlier this week, Musgraves announced via Instagram that she would be selling her concert outfits through the e-commerce platform Stage To Closet, with proceeds going to tornado relief.
Howard posted an image of her dirty hands, presumably from helping out during the tornado’s aftermath, with the caption: “I love this community so much. I don’t know what else to say, really. Everyone is out here today helping with each other and it’s really moving. I love y’all. I’m so very grateful.”
Third Man Records, the Nashville-based record label founded by Jack White, also tweeted a message of “love and support”, which you can read here:
https://twitter.com/thirdmanrecords/status/1234846725501788161
At the time of writing, the storms have claimed 24 lives and left many injured. Several music-related buildings have also been damaged, among them gig venue Basement East, the offices of Dualtone Records, and vintage guitar shop Fanny’s House Of Music.