Guitars for Girls 2025 was a Beautiful Success
Thank You for Helping Us Make an Impact
We’re taking a short pause to reflect, recharge, and share what’s next soon.
Nominate a Girl for a Chance to Receive a Guitar and Continue the Tradition of Appalachian Roots Music through Musicianship, Songwriting, and Band Leadership.
At Red-Winged Blackbird Records, we’re devoted to preserving the legacy of American roots music - born here in Appalachia.
Through Guitars for Girls, we’re helping the next generation of young women step into that lineage and carry on these important musical traditions.
This year, we’re gifting acoustic guitars and accessory kits to girls aged 8–17 across Frederick, Maryland, and throughout the 13 states that make up Greater Appalachia, empowering them to become musicians, songwriters, storytellers, and bandleaders, at no cost to them or their families.
Because we believe the next generation of Appalachian songwriters and storytellers are worth investing in.
Recipients are selected at the sole discretion of Red-Winged Blackbird Records and its volunteer committee. Submission of a nomination does not guarantee selection. No purchase or payment is necessary to apply.
Our 2025 sponsors:
The Blackest Crow Studio
Logo, website design + graphics
Eat Local Frederick
Sponsored in part by Guitar Center of Hagerstown, MD; Katie Powderly; The Blackest Crow Studio; Eat Local Frederick; The Unconditional Lovers; The Common Market Co-op; Metzner & Houpt; Willy St. Co-op; The Fly Birds; Classic Electric Tattoo & Body Piercing; Beckley’s RVs; Olde Mother Brewing Co.; Top Shelf Trinkets; and private anonymous donors.
Red-Winged Blackbird Records gratefully acknowledges the support of these sponsors. Sponsorship does not imply endorsement, and all trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.
Welcome!
We are Red-Winged Blackbird Records, a record-label-turned arts organization devoted to the preservation of American roots music through education, events, and legacy-building.
We serve as a vibrant bridge between the musical traditions of our shared past and its promising future.
We execute our mission of bridge-building with a 3-pronged approach integrating
Past, Present, & Future:
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Past: Paying homage to our heritage through education.
We honor the legacy of American roots music, including folk, country, and bluegrass, embracing and celebrating our traditions while acting as stewards of our shared cultural inheritance.
We offer:
• Workshops, Masterclasses + Retreats
• Educational Materials -
Present: Creating connection + community through events.
We curate unforgettable live experiences, showcasing living songwriters and performers who carry on the tradition with passion and authenticity.
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Future: Looking toward the future, we leave a legacy.
We commit to capturing and preserving the essence of today’s music through timeless recordings–albums, videos, and beyond–so that future generations can revel in the beauty of our evolving musical landscape.
Fostering community and connection through song, by hosting events that benefit both artists and audiences.
FAQs
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We are committed to protecting and preserving the rich musical traditions of American roots music, including bluegrass, folk, country, Americana, and Appalachian music.
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They are uniquely American and part of our story as a nation.
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These genres of music originated as one consequence of the textured interfacing of various racial and cultural groups during the historically fraught period of American colonization and the years since.
The result of these encounters includes but is not limited to:
A) the creation of a broader narrative and cultural conversation in the form of songs, and
B) an amalgam of musical influences born from the conflict and confluence of our nation’s diverse racial and cultural populations interacting.
These factors gave birth to styles of music uniquely indigenous to The United States. And these songs are a vital part of our story. -
These forms of music are seldom taught in schools, are are predominantly learned by ear and word of mouth.
We place a strong emphasis on the continuation of traditional tunes from Appalachia and beyond.
We have a responsibility to carry on these enduring traditions and to honor the skilled folks who know how to play and sing these songs of our shared history. -
We place a strong emphasis on original songwriting and strive to support and uplift living artists.
We celebrate the contemporary songwriters who document the events of today through their music, and the musicians who sacrifice stability in exchange for careers as performers. -
Contrary to popular belief, creating music to share with a broader audience than one’s own bedroom comes with a lot of associated costs.
Those costs are prohibitively expensive to many talented and worthy individuals.
What are the large-scale implications of a culture in which only the wealthy can afford to record, release, promote, and tour in support of their songs?
Whose voices are omitted from that conversation and what are the unquantifiable losses we all suffer as a result of only hearing the music of those with resources, and not necessarily the folks with the most impactful or challenging messages?
We enable the underdogs to have a chance to have their songs showcased and documented.
Celebrating Appalachian excellence + universal human kindness.
Believe in what we’re doing? Amplify our impact.
We need you.
4 ways you can make a difference today: