Gibson
Orville Gibson founded the company in 1902 as the "Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co. Ltd." in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to make mandolin-family instruments. Gibson invented archtop guitars by constructing the same type of carved, arched tops used on violins. By the 1930s, the company was also making flattop acoustic guitars, as well as one of the first commercially available hollow-body electric guitars, used and popularized by Charlie Christian. In 1944, Gibson was bought by Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI), which was acquired in 1969 by Panama-based conglomerate Ecuadorian Company Limited (ECL), that changed its name in the same year to Norlin Corporation. Gibson was owned by Norlin Corporation from 1969 to 1986. In 1986, the company was acquired by a group led by Henry Juszkiewicz and David H. Berryman.
Michael Gibson (musician)
Gibson began his career as a studio musician in New York City, often working with James Brown. In 1972 he changed direction, to become an orchestrator. Best known for his work on the original motion picture version of "Grease" (1978) and the Broadway musicals "Steel Pier" (1997) and "Cabaret" (revival, 1998), Gibson frequently worked with the famous composer-lyricist partnership of John Kander and Fred Ebb; his long-standing relationship with Kander began with "Woman of the Year" (1981). He received four additional Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations nominations: for "Anything Goes" (1988), "Steel Pier" (1997), "Cabaret" (1998), and the 'dexterously orchestrated' "The Wild Party" (2000).