WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Sept. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing its support of aspiring artists, Guitar Center (www.guitarcenter.com), the world's largest retailer of musical instruments and equipment, today announced that Baton Rouge, LA's own Jonathon "Boogie" Long has risen above thousands of other guitarists and been crowned the winner of its fifth annual King of the Blues (www.guitarcenter.com/kingoftheblues), the nationwide search for the next great undiscovered blues guitar player. Last week, Long beat out five other finalists at the House of Blues in Hollywood, CA in front of a live audience and a panel of celebrity judges, and shared the stage with world-renowned guitarist Warren Haynes -- Grammy Award-winning member of Gov't Mule, the Allman Brothers Band and the Dead.  As Guitar Center's King of the Blues, Long wins:

• $25,000 Cash
• Studio Session with Grammy Award-Winning Producer Pete Anderson
• Gibson Vintage Collectors Series Les Paul 1959 Reissue
• Epiphone 1965 Elitist Casino
• Egnater Full Stack (Egnater Tweaker 88 Head plus Two 4x12 Vintage-30 Loaded Cabinets)
• Egnater 112 Combo Amp
• Boss GT-10 Guitar Multi-Effects Processor
• Winner's Choice of 2 Boss Single Stomp Pedals
• Robert Johnson Complete Masters, Centennial Edition Vinyl Box Set
• Endorsement Deals from Gibson, Ernie Ball, Boss, and Egnater
• Feature in Guitar World Magazine

Watch footage from the event here: http://bit.ly/GC_KingOfTheBlues_Video.

See photos from the event here: http://bit.ly/GC_KingOfTheBlues_Photos.

"Guitar Center annually celebrates the blues by giving aspiring musicians the chance to take their careers to the next level," said Maria Brown, manager of music and entertainment marketing at Guitar Center.  "Jonathon 'Boogie' Long put on an incredible performance at the 2011 grand finals, he unquestionably earned the title of King of the Blues."

"Winning Guitar Center's King of the Blues is the most incredible feeling ever," says Long. "I actually have one of the old banners on the wall above my bed, and I've been sleeping under it for three years.  My bass player said some of it must have rubbed off on me.  I'm so thankful that Guitar Center offers this kind of opportunity to an unsigned artist like me, it's just an unbelievable thing that they're doing and I hope they keep doing it year after year."

Judges at Guitar Center's King of the Blues 2011 grand finals were:

• Mick Mars (Motley Crue)
• Jimmy Vivino (band leader/musical director for Conan)
• Brad Tolinski (Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World Magazine)
• Pete Anderson (Grammy-winning producer)
• Randy Scott (2010 GC King of the Blues)
• Tyler Bryant (blues rock singer/guitarist)
• Joe Bonamassa (blues rock singer/guitarist)

Local King of the Blues competitions were held at Guitar Center locations nationwide, beginning May 5th.  Each contestant was required to give a live guitar solo, performed over one of thirty original backing tracks developed by Grammy Award-winning producer/guitarist, Pete Anderson. One winner from each store was chosen to move up to district competitions (25 locations), and one winner was chosen from each district competition to compete in the regionally hosted semi-finals (5 locations). The success of 2009 champion, Kirby Kelley, is testimony to Guitar Center's support of aspiring artists and the success they can have, as after his win Kelley was selected to play at the Eric Clapton-curated Crossroads Guitar Festival, opening for a long list of legendary artists, including: ZZ Top; Steve Winwood; BB King; Jeff Beck; Vince Gill; Sheryl Crow; Buddy Guy, John Mayer and Clapton himself.

King of the Blues is one of many Guitar Center initiatives created to foster growth and success within the music community, including Your Next Record, On-Stage and Drum-Off competitions, among others.

About Guitar Center

Guitar Center is the world's largest retailer of musical instruments and equipment. Our retail store subsidiary presently operates 220 Guitar Center stores across the U.S. We are also the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments in the United States through our wholly owned subsidiary, Musician's Friend, Inc., and its catalog and Web site, www.musiciansfriend.com. In addition, our Music & Arts division operates more than 100 stores specializing in band instruments for sale and rental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students. More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company's Web site at www.guitarcenter.com.

The Guitar Center logo is a registered trademark of Guitar Center, Inc. Other brand or product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

SOURCE Guitar Center