The emerging musician will join Gibson as the brand’s first Marquee Artist
Who is Gibson Marquee Artist Abraham Alexander?
Born in Greece to parents of Nigerian descent, Abraham Alexander moved to Texas with his family at age 11 to escape the racial tensions they faced in his birthplace. Shortly after moving to the States, his birth mother was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver, leaving Alexander to be adopted later in his teens. He found solace in sports as a soccer prodigy and later, following a torn ACL that ended his playing career, in music after a friend handed Alexander a guitar. He unexpectedly found songs pouring out of him.
While working as a bank teller and rehearsing during his lunch breaks, a life-changing, chance encounter with Leon Bridges changed the course of Alexander’s life. “. . . something in me was just like, you need to talk to this guy. It was weird, but it was that intuition that I could not dismiss.” This intuition led him to his first experience in a recording studio, singing Bridges’ songs such as “River” and “Coming Home.” It was Bridges that encouraged him to start taking music seriously, and he began performing at open mic gigs. From his modest musical beginnings performing at open mics in Fort Worth, TX, Alexander has gone on to recent stints on the road opening for Leon Bridges, Black Pumas, and Mavis Staples. He recently toured with Lucius, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Ani DiFranco, Shakey Graves, and Gary Clark Jr. This summer, he will embark on a tour with The Lumineers in the UK and Europe.
Abraham Alexander’s much-anticipated debut album SEA/SONS, is available on Dualtone Records. NPR All Songs Considered raves, “I feel like this LP is as influenced by Frank Ocean as Leon Bridges” and “This is a great record.” No Depression says of the album, “It’s a testament to Alexander’s determination to lean toward the light despite the darkness that’s plagued him. It’s also a real gift for the listener,” while Americana Highways praises, “Alexander’s songs draw the best out of his fellow players, and as his story continues to unfold, his travels will be a worthy follow.” Alexander co-produced the record alongside Matt Pence (The Breeders, Yuck, Here We Go Magic) and Brad Cook (Nathaniel Rateliff, Kevin Morby, Bon Iver).
The 11 tracks on SEA/SONS touch on themes of loss, redemption, longing, anguish, and joy. And while his lyrics speak to pain, trauma, and life-changing loss, he instills his music with a joyful passion and irrepressible spirit, ultimately giving way to songs that radiate undeniable hope. “The image on the cover is me and my brothers in the ocean in Greece,” Alexander explains of the album. “So, the title is me thanking my brothers in a way and just reminiscing about us being in the ocean and how time isn’t really a concept that kids grasp.” He continues, “SEA/SONS is a reminder for us to be in the moment in the sea and to dwell in the healing place, not looking at the clock.”
The album features appearances by Mavis Staples and Gary Clark Jr. He’ll also perform at this year’s Newport Folk Festival, Bonnaroo, and Austin City Limits Festival.
Abraham uses a Gibson ES-335, an Epiphone ES-339, and the delightful Epiphone Dove Studio to help bring his music to life.
What is the Gibson Marquee Artist Program?
As part of Gibson’s commitment to artist-first culture and music discovery, the Marquee Artist Program invests in furthering the careers of artists on the rise who reflect the brand’s mission to celebrate and amplify music across genders, genres, and generations.
The program goes beyond guitars to provide emerging artists with support and services committed to artist career growth. As a Gibson Marquee Artist, Abraham Alexander will have access to Gibson’s global resources and work with the brand to create collaboratively inspired cultural campaigns, participate in product development and launches, support Gibson Gives nonprofit initiatives, and join in special events across Gibson Brands products and channels, reaching millions of fans worldwide.
“In our years of working with Abraham, we’ve seen the impact his music has in every room he plays. The beauty, thought, and emotion his songs convey and inspire are what—to us at Gibson—define the power of music,” says Beth Heidt, CMO, Gibson Brands, Inc. “As a singer-songwriter, Abe brings our guitars to life through his songs. In supporting his music and creative expression, we also want to encourage music lovers and new artists to take the next step in their own musical journey.”
Gibson’s Marquee Artist program follows other artist-first programs and initiatives that the brand has introduced over the past five years, including the Gibson Generation Group, which supports youth artists, Gibson Gives Scholarship program that provides financial support to students with music career aspirations, and Gibson Records, a record label that works with artists to produce, record, and promote guitar-driven music.
Abraham Alexander
