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.
Gibson Brothers (bluegrass duo)
The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awarded the Gibson Brothers Emerging Artist of the Year honors in 1998 following the Alan O'Bryant produced album "Another Night of Waiting" on the Hay Holler label. They debuted on the Grand Ole Opry on April 11, 2003. "Ring the Bell" (written by Chet O'Keefe) won Song of the Year and Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year in 2010. Their first tour abroad was to Ireland and then Germany in 2010. In 2012 they returned to Germany with stops in Denmark, France, and Italy. The brothers debuted on Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" on October 4, 2014 at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota and returned on January 17, 2015.
"Long Forgotten Dream" was their first album to appear on the Bluegrass Unlimited (BU) National Bluegrass Survey with four months on the chart; Spread Your Wings followed with three months; and Another Night of Waiting for nine months with a peak ranking of No. 7.
In July 2003 "Bona Fide" became their first album to reach No. 1 on the BU National Bluegrass Survey; "A Long Way Back Home" occupied the No. 1 position for four months; "Red Letter Day" for two months; "Iron and Diamonds" for one month; "Ring the Bell" for two months; "Help My Brother" for eight months; and "They Called It Music" for six months.