Orville H. Gibson: A Peculiar Excellency

Hi, my name is Joyce Brumbaugh and I've written a biography of sorts about Orville H. Gibson, founder of the Gibson Guitar Company. The working title is "Orville H. Gibson: A Peculiar Excellency." My book has 8 chapters, 102 photographs and scans of ephemera, 4 appendices, countless footnotes for documentation and a forward written by Walter Carter.

After having conversations with several publishers who want to pay me only 8% for my years of work on this book, I've decided to self-publish. I am raising money for professional editing and a first-run printing.

This book has been a labor of love for me that started out as a term paper. I went back to college late in life and graduated from Western Michigan University in 2011 with a degree in Public History. One of my last classes was taught by Professor Tom Dietz who was, at the time, the curator of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. Our assignment was to write in-depth about an artifact in the museum. I wasn't about to write about Gibson because I didn't want my paper to fall atop the heap of countless Gibson papers and be forgotten about.

One day, as Tom and I were standing in front of the Gibson exhibit, he said, "We have a mandolin in storage that Orville made before the company started." And I said, "What?! You have what?! A mandolin?" He showed it to me. I took photographs of it and asked him if I had to include the company in my paper since it didn't exist at the time this mandolin was made. He said I didn't. After my paper was written, this was just too cool to put down. I reached out to some of the most interesting and knowledgeable people in the field of Orville's and Gibsons. And it turned into a book.

So, if you feel inclined, please contribute to the cost of getting this book out. And here is my promise to those who do, when I reach my goal I'll tell you first what the H stands for. That's right. I know what Orville's middle name is. I cannot reveal my source, but those who know me will trust me.