As seen in
Guitar Girl Magazine Issue 7 – All Americana
Kalamazoo Gals:
A Story of Extraordinary Women & Gibson’s ‘Banner’ Guitars of WWII
Author: John Thomas
Publisher: American History Press
Price: $21.95
Kalamazoo Gals: A Story of Extraordinary Women & Gibson’s ‘Banner” Guitars of WWII is an insightful book with a story of an iconic guitar brand, Gibson Guitars, and a historical account of how a guitar manufacturer had its production team decimated in support of an ongoing war and the unlikely and seemingly secret emergence of a production team comprised of all women who built the “Banner” Guitars of WWII.
The flat-top acoustic guitars displayed a banner on the headstock that read, “Only a Gibson is Good enough.”
The story unfolds with how John Thomas came across the inspiration for this book when coming across a 1944 photo of women lined up in front of the Gibson Guitar Factory and his touching journey to find and engage with at least 12 of the original women. These women essentially rescued Gibson during the war and then quietly exited back into domestic life when the war ended.
Two great stories in one; one focusing on the “Gals” themselves, and the other on the history and development of these great acoustic guitars whose average daily and annual production is archived and aligned with key war events throughout the years of the war…the show must go on!
Seems like there’s always an untold story about iconic events, brands, and people if one looks hard enough, and John Thomas, a guitar lover himself, cured his curiosity and has now told this story in a captivating way.
~ Updated February 27, 2024