Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival Announces Festival Village

Press release
Source: Kristen Foster Public Relations

Adding more guitar firepower for fans, The Crossroads Guitar Festival on July 28, 2007 at Toyota Park in Chicago will now feature a Guitar Village. The Village will be comprised of interactive guitar exhibits, hands-on demonstrations and classic guitars on display. In a rare historic showing, three of the world’s most infamous originals – Eric Clapton’s “Blackie,” his Gibson “335” guitar and Clapton/Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Lenny” will be showcased thanks to the efforts of Guitar Center which will be ensuring that the renowned guitars, purchased in 2004 with $2.4 million dollar charity donation to The Crossroads Centre, make it safely to their destination. In addition, fans can get the first glimpse of the brand-new Fender limited edition “Eric Clapton Crossroads Stratocaster”. Designed by Clapton himself, Fender will make only 100 of the custom pieces for sale, with all money going to the Crossroads Centre, Antigua.

Set to open at 9 a.m. when Festival gates open, the Village will entertain fans all day long and feature clinics for wanna-be guitar gods on a Village stage. As with the first festival in 2004, the Crossroads Guitar Festival will benefit the Crossroads Centre in Antigua, a treatment and education facility founded by Clapton for chemically dependent persons. The facility will also have a tent in the Village so fans can better understand this important charity.

Tickets for the Crossroads Guitar Festival are sold out. Current ticket holders are encouraged to arrive early to be part of the Village experience.

Current Village participants include the following:

The Crossroads Centre, Antigua
Founded in 1998, Crossroads Centre, Antigua was created to provide treatment and education to chemically dependent persons, those with other compulsive addictive behaviors, their families and their significant others. Treatment is provided through residential care, family and aftercare programs. The pathway to recovery is founded on the movement toward a change in lifestyle. Crossroads Centre, Antigua also operates a 16-bed halfway house in Antigua called the Bevon House (exclusively for Antigua residents) and facilitates a school-based education series, Breaking the Cycle, in all Antiguan schools. The Crossroads Centre has recently expanded its programme to offer transitional living for men, in line with the Crossroads Centre’s philosophy on recovery, at The Sanctuary in Delray Beach, Florida, for those who have completed a residential treatment programme. For more information, please visit www.crossroadsantigua.org.

Fender Musical Instruments Corp.
To honor and support the philanthropic efforts of legendary guitarist Eric Clapton, Fender has worked closely with Eric to create and release a very special limited edition set of guitars and amps—the Eric Clapton Crossroads Stratocaster® and Crossroads ’57 Twin-Amps™. The Eric Clapton Crossroads instruments are a limited run of 50 guitar and amplifier sets, along with 50 guitars. Both packages will be on display in the Village and all profits from the project will benefit the Crossroads Centre, Antigua. Each guitar has been crafted to Eric’s specification and bear a unique “Crossroads Antigua” graphic designed and originally hand-drawn by Clapton himself. Master-built in Fender’s Corona, Calif., Custom Shop, the Eric Clapton Crossroads Stratocaster guitar was created under Eric’s guidance and supervision by the very same artisans who handcraft Eric’s personal instruments. Also in the Guitar Village, Fender will provide interactive Fender guitar and amp set-ups of other Crossroads artists including Jeff Beck, John Mayer, Jimmie Vaughan, Robert Cray, Sheryl Crow, Vince Gill and Buddy Guy, allowing fans to play like the pros for the ultimate hands-on guitar experience.

Guitar Center
Guitar Center, America’s leading musical instrument and professional audio retailer, in support of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, will be the sole sponsor dedicated to bringing back three of rock’s most infamous guitars to the legend himself. Guitar Center will bring the “Legends Collection” which includes Clapton’s Blackie guitar, his Gibson 335 guitar and Clapton/Stevie Ray Vaughan Lenny guitar to Clapton’s Crossroads Festival. For the first time since Guitar Center purchased them for over $2.4 million from the Clapton Crossroads Centre Auction at Christies New York, these three iconic guitars will be on display for all festival goers to view in the Village in a one-of-a-kind, newly created, “Legend’s Collection” display case that will provide high level protection and climate control. Guitar Center will also showcase the 2007 King of the Blues winner, Aaron Loesch, who will have the chance of a lifetime to perform on the main stage of the festival. In addition, Guitar Center is partnering with Ernie Ball to co-sponsor a second stage at the festival. The Ernie Ball Guitar Center Village Stage will feature national acts as well as two lucky bands that will compete for a chance to play on the second stage through Ernie Ball and Guitar Center’s unmatched dedication to providing musicians opportunities to perform live at the largest music festivals on the planet.

Ernie Ball
Ernie Ball Proudly Presents Play Crossroads! Continuing their long-standing tradition of providing opportunities for musicians to play live and fulfill their dreams, Ernie Ball has made it possible for one band to have the opportunity to play live at the 2007 Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival….via uploading of bands’ best MP3s at www.playcrossroads.com. The chance to win was made available to all musicians with the winner performing on the Village Stage! In addition to hosting these opportunities, Ernie Ball is proud to continue their support of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Antiqua Foundation.

DigiTech
DigiTech, a leader in guitar signal processing, is showcasing their new marketing tool the “DigiTruck” at the Crossroads Guitar Festival. After long planning and lots of hard work, DigiTech has completed this self contained rolling monster to spread the word of DigiTech and all other Harman products including dbx, Lexicon, BSS, Crown, Soundcraft, JBL and AKG. The DigiTruck contains a controlled environment product room, lounge and more that needs to be seen.

Gibson Guitars
Gibson Guitar, the world’s premier musical instrument maker and leader in music technology, will be a proud participant in Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival village in support of the Crossroads Centre Foundation. In its own tent in the village, Gibson Guitar will create a memorable experience for fans. Spectators will be able to view exhibited Gibson Guitars and memorabilia inside the Gibson tent. Gibson Guitars will also furnish the festival with a number of high-end Gibson Guitars which will later be auctioned off to raise funds for The Crossroads Centre. Gibson Guitars will also make a generous cash donation to the Crossroads Centre. In addition, Gibson Guitars will provide artists with complimentary Gibson products, as well as make backline equipment available at the event for participating artists to use. The famous Gibson bus and trailer will also be on hand and displayed in the Village area to be used as a VIP meeting area at this exciting festival. Please see the company’s website: www.gibson.com.

Limelight Agency
Limelight is the premier Gallery representing the most talented artists in rock & roll today. In addition to Rolling Stones Guitarist Ronnie Wood, Limelight is proud to represent the Estate of Jimi Hendrix and the unique creative genius of artist Sebastian Kruger.

Rolling Stone Authentic
Rolling Stone Authentic is proud to support the Crossroads 2007 Guitar Festival. We produce a wide range of products that feature the artwork of Rolling Stone magazine’s 40-year archive of 1000+ legendary covers, including fine art prints, posters, calendars and more. Rock and Roll fans can see these amazing covers in the Crossroads Musician’s Village and online at www.crossroads-rsa.com and Rolling Stone Authentic will be making a donation to the Crossroads Centre for each subsequent purchase made through this web link.

CURRENT ARTIST LISTING CONFIRMED FOR MAIN STAGE PERFORMANCES

Jeff Beck
Doyle Bramhall II
Eric Clapton
Robert Cray
Sheryl Crow
Vince Gill
Buddy Guy
BB King
Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas
Sonny Landreth
Albert Lee
Los Lobos
John Mayer
John McLaughlin
Willie Nelson
Robbie Robertson
Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Hubert Sumlin
The Derek Trucks Band featuring Susan Tedeschi
Jimmie Vaughan
Johnny Winter
Steve Winwood

Related Links
Review: Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival Concert
Eric Clapton and Guitar Friends Raise Money for Crossroads Centre (concert photos)
Aaron Loesch Ready for Eric Clapton Crossroads Concert
Bill Murray, Robbie Robertson, and Johnny Winter Added to Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival Concert
MSN Music Crossroads Concert Webcast
Eric Clapton Announces 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival to Be Held in Chicago
Fender Creates Eric Clapton Crossroads Stratocasters and Amps
Hail, Hail, the New Guitar Center King of the Blues Is Crowned
Coronation Countdown: Guitar Center's King of the Blues Competition
King of the Blues Finalist Zack Wiesinger Opens for Steve Vai
Guitar Center King of the Blues Website