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Capital Campus Library

Capital International Guitar Month

Introduction

Here is your guide to International Guitar Month at the Arthur C. Banks Library at Capital Community College. Notice the tabs along the side of the screen; select the one that best matches your informational need.

B.B King

Photo of BB King holding a guitar. He is wearing a blue vest and multicolored suit jacket. There is a microphone in front of him, and the background is black. He is a mature adult in this photo, is smiling, and has no hair.

HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL GUITAR MONTH

The Guitar & Accessories Marketing Association (GAMA) and the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) founded International Guitar Day in 1987 to promote guitar sales around the world.

A plucked four-string instrument was named a guitar in the 14th century in Spain. It resembled a vihuela, a guitar-shaped instrument played in Spain. As far as the name is concerned, ‘guitar’ comes from ‘guitarra,’ a Spanish word. It is also assumed that ‘guitar’ is associated with the Latin word ‘cithara’ and the ancient Sanskrit word ‘tar,’ which means ‘string.’ Also, ‘guitarra latina’ was a curved-body instrument that comprised four strings and was used as a musical instrument in the medieval period in Europe. The contemporary guitar originated in Spain, however, the oldest surviving guitar-like instrument is from ancient Egypt.

As centuries passed, the guitar went through many changes and transformed into something similar to the modern guitar. Yes, the first guitar was a lot different from what it looks like today. Guitars in the 16th century consisted of C-F-A-D tuning and were called baroque guitars. Later, a lower string E was added to it.

In the 19th century, Antonio de Torres Jurado started building guitars that were similar to new acoustic guitars. It is assumed that most of the modern-day guitars are derivatives of Antonio’s designs. Thus, he was called the Stradivari of guitars (because another Antonio — Antonio Stradivari — was a world-famous violin maker.)

George Beauchamp along with Adolph Rickenbacker made the first-ever electric guitar in the United States in the 20th century. Following this invention, a lot of other types of guitars are made in many variations.

Taken from the website https://nationaltoday.com/international-guitar-month/

Famous Guitarists

This is a partial list of guitarists. To locate biographical information on the following persons, use one of the library's biography databases or Oxford Music Online, located on the library Databases page. To access information off-campus, please enter your Banner ID and password.

  • Chet Atkins
  • Etta Baker
  • Beck
  • Jeff Beck
  • Chuck Berry
  • George Benson
  • Lindsey Buckingham
  • Charlie Byrd
  • Glen Campbell
  • Johnny Cash
  • Eric Clapton
  • David Crosby
  • Sheryl Crow
  • Bo Diddley
  • Bob Dylan
  • Pedro Javier Gonzalez
  • Buddy Guy
  • George Harrison
  • Jimi Hendrix
  • Don Henley
  • Tito Jackson
  • Rick James
  • Joan Jett
  • Blind Willie Johnson
  • Robert Johnson
  • B.B King
  • Earl Klugh
  • Lenny Kravitz
  • John Lennon
  • Curtis Mayfield
  • Paul McCartney
  • Sarah McLachlan
  • Brian McKnight
  • Steve Miller
  • Joni Mitchell
  • Wes Montgomery
  • Willie Nelson
  • Odetta
  • Niccolò Paganini 
  • Jimmy Page
  • Les Paul
  • Tom Petty
  • Prince
  • Bonnie Raitt
  • Keith Richards
  • Niles Rodgers
  • Carlos Santana
  • Bob Seger
  • Slash
  • Sister Rosetta Tharpe
  • Eddie Van Halen
  • Ritchie Valens
  • Keith Urban
  • Kazuhito Yamashita
  • Muddy Waters
  • Bobby Womack