Research Catalog
Kalamazoo Gals : a story of extraordinary women & Gibson's "Banner" guitars of WWII
- Title
- Kalamazoo Gals : a story of extraordinary women & Gibson's "Banner" guitars of WWII / John Thomas ; with a foreword by Jonathan Kellerman.
- Author
- Thomas, John, 1955-
- Publication
- Franklin, Tennessee : American History Press, [2012]
- ©2012
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1 Item
| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building to submit a request in person. | Text | Use in library | JFE 20-4942 | Schwarzman Building - Milstein Division Room 121 |
Details
- Description
- xiv, 249 pages, 20 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations; 23 cm
- Summary
- According to company lore, Gibson, the guitar manufacturer, had ceased guitar production during World War II with only "seasoned craftsmen" too old for battle doing repairs and completing the few instruments already in progress at their Kalamazoo, Michigan factory. However, beginning in 1942, Gibson started producing wartime guitars each marked with a small, golden "banner" displaying the slogan: "only a Gibson is good enough". Over 9000 of these "Banner" guitars were produced between 1942 and 1945 and they are considered to be some of the finest acoustic guitars ever produced but who was making them? In this work of musical and social history, Thomas explores the origins of the Gibson "Banner" guitars and the remarkable women, many of whom had no prior training in instrument construction, who built them.
- Alternative Title
- Kalamazoo Gals : a story of extraordinary women and Gibson's "Banner" guitars of World War II
- Subject
- Gibson, Inc. > History
- Gibson, Inc
- 1900-1999
- Gibson guitar
- Gibson guitar > History
- Guitar makers > United States > History
- Guitar makers > United States > History > Personal narratives
- Guitar > Construction > History. > United States
- Guitar > United States > 20th century
- Women > Employment > History > United States > 20th century
- Women > United States > Social conditions > 20th century
- World War, 1939-1945 > Women > United States
- Guitar
- Guitar > Construction
- Guitar makers
- Women
- Women > Employment
- Women > Social conditions
- United States
- Genre/Form
- History.
- Personal narratives.
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-243) and index.
- Contents
- "Only a Gibson is good enough" -- The man who fused guitar and cello -- Those toys -- The good war -- Oral histories of the unsung women (and only one man) who carried Gibson through World War II -- April 2008: deja vu all over again -- A wooden conundrum wrapped in an enigma of lacquer -- "If these old guitars could talk -- Epilogue.
- Call Number
- JFE 20-4942
- ISBN
- 9780983082781
- 0983082782
- LCCN
- 2012954827
- OCLC
- 825747163
- Author
- Thomas, John, 1955- author.
- Title
- Kalamazoo Gals : a story of extraordinary women & Gibson's "Banner" guitars of WWII / John Thomas ; with a foreword by Jonathan Kellerman.
- Publisher
- Franklin, Tennessee : American History Press, [2012]
- Copyright Date
- ©2012
- Type of Content
- text
- Type of Medium
- unmediated
- Type of Carrier
- volume
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-243) and index.
- Chronological Term
- 1900-1999
- Research Call Number
- JFE 20-4942