Blues/Folk guitarist/vocalist Lauren Sheehan celebrates new CD “The Light Still Burns” – Companion to “Kalamazoo Gals: A Story of Extraordinary Women and Gibson's 'Banner' Guitars of WWII” by John Thomas There is a little-known (and at the time suppressed) story of how Gibson Guitars continued to manufacture their instruments at their factory in Kalamazoo MI during World War II with a nearly all-female workforce. That story has now finally been told by John Thomas in his new book “Kalamazoo Gals: Kalamazoo Gals: a Story of Extraordinary Women and Gibson's 'Banner' Guitars of WWII.” Lauren Sheehan played those very same Gibson Banner guitars in recording her new album “The Light Still Burns.” That CD is available with the book or separately. Lauren says: “While the men were off to the war, women filled in and kept the lights burnin' at Gibson's. The guitars of this period have a banner across the headstock, hence "Banner Guitars" and are oft considered among the treasures of Gibson guitars. Who were the women, what was their story, why did Gibson cover up the fact that they made these guitars, why are the guitars so wonderful sounding and how were they made? These questions and more about the story are the subject of the book…But then John thought about how cool it would be if folks could also hear the guitars the women made. He raised some funds, got guitars donated from all over the country for a recording project and then found a woman to play them - me. Many songs seemed to suggest themselves to me after I read the manuscript so picking the music was easy and it's mostly appropriate to the times and themes in the book. We used a different guitar for each track. Eric Tate engineered it, in New Haven, CT, at Firehouse 12 Studio, so that you the listeners, would be able to hear and appreciate the sonic details and differences of the guitars… It was an extraordinary experience to be in the studio surrounded by vintage banner guitars and to be able to take my pick of them. We made sure that we represented all the model types we had, so there is good variety.” John Thomas says: “Given Wartime raw materials restrictions, Gibson had to resort to improvisation, the scrap heap, and a “nearly all” female workforce. But, the company swallowed its pride, whined in private about the burden of the gender of its crew, and denied in public that it was doing what it must do both to survive the cataclysmic challenge of the times and to try to maintain its reputation as a maker of fine musical instruments. So, while the company commissioned advertising art promising that it would await the return of “the boys” before producing another instrument, it reluctantly and perhaps under the cover of darkness shipped out some 10,000 girl-made guitars. It graced the headstock of each of those guitars with a small, golden, silk-screened banner emblazoned with “Only a Gibson is Good Enough.” When those boys did return home to retake most of the jobs held by women, good enough apparently became insufficient and the banner disappeared.”