Randy Scott Named Guitar Center's King of the Blues, the Nation's Greatest Undiscovered Blues Guitar Player

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing its support of aspiring artists, Guitar Center (www.guitarcenter.com) the world's largest musical instrument retailer, today announced that Hacienda Heights' own Randy Scott has advanced beyond thousands of other guitarists and been named the winner of its fourth annual King of the Blues (www.guitarcenter.com/kingoftheblues), the nationwide search for the next great undiscovered blues guitar player. This past week, Scott beat out five other finalists at the House of Blues in Los Angeles in front of a live audience and a panel of celebrity judges, and shared the stage with world-renowned guitarist Derek Trucks—leader of the Grammy Award-winning Derek Trucks Band and member of Allman Brothers Band—as well as Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient David "Honeyboy" Edwards. As Guitar Center's King of the Blues, Scott has received:

• $25,000 cash
• Endorsement Deals from Gibson, Ernie Ball, Boss and Egnater
• A Feature in Guitar World Magazine
• Gibson 1960 50th Anniversary ES-335
• Epiphone 1965 Elitist Casino
• Egnater Renegade full-stack amplifier
• Boss GT-10 Guitar Multi-Effects Processor and effects pedals

"Guitar Center celebrates the blues annually by giving aspiring musicians the chance to take their careers to the next level," said Dustin Hinz, Director of Music and Entertainment Marketing for Guitar Center. Randy Scott put on a tremendous performance at the 2010 grand finals—one that we'll remember for years to come. He definitively earned the title of King of the Blues."

"This is the best day of my life, it really hasn't sunk in yet," said Scott. "I had given up music for nine years, and the people of Guitar Center have shown tremendous support and encouragement towards my journey back into playing the blues. I'm going to play every day for the rest of my life to make up for those nine years."

Local King of the Blues competitions were held at Guitar Center locations nationwide, beginning May 13th. 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 last year's reigning champion, Kirby Kelley, is testimony to Guitar Center's support of aspiring artists as he was recently selected to play at the Eric Clapton-curated Crossroads Guitar Festival this past June at Toyota Park in Chicago, IL, 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 its annual, Your Next Record, Guitar Center Sessions, King of the Blues, On-Stage and Drum-Off competitions, among others. Guitar Center's King of the Blues is sponsored by Ernie Ball, Guitar World, House of Blues, Gibson, Epiphone, Egnater and Boss.

About Guitar Center

Guitar Center is the world's largest retailer of guitars, amplifiers, percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment. Our retail store subsidiary presently operates 214 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