Whether from Montreal or Belfast, Houston or Birmingham," he said, "these are singer-songwriters informed and elated by the past who have taken the greatness of the old and successfully competed with it to create something new and authentically their own. Mary has always clearly understood the value of music in people's lives and appreciated the struggle and angst of creative souls desiring to matter in the lives of strangers ... just as Muddy Waters, Woody Guthrie, Jimmie Rodgers, or Howlin' Wolf may have mattered in their own. Her unerring ability to see promise before it blooms as greatness, her ability to connect her aspirants to the resources they need, and her integrity and work ethic have led worldwide audiences to some of the most worthwhile music and most gifted artists of modern times." Founded in 2002 as the philanthropic division of Gibson Guitar, the Gibson Foundation is committed to making the world a better place for children worldwide through its own initiatives and by its support of other non-profit organizations that advance music and the arts, health and welfare, education and environmental causes. Full Article at Cybergrass