John McBride & Guitar Center Music Foundation Partner to Launch Blackbird Student Grant Program: ‘Music Can Improve Your Life … And the Whole World’

The Guitar Center Music Foundation and Nashville engineering/production icon John McBride have teamed up to launch the Blackbird Music Student monthly grant program. McBride owns Music City-based Blackbird Studio. Since opening its doors in 2002, the studio has hosted recording sessions for a host of music stars such as Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake and Jack Harlow.

McBride also serves as institutional director of The Blackbird Academy. McBride and his wife, country star Martina McBride, launched the academy in 2013 which, as its website notes, is “dedicated to advancing the quality of recording education through a hands-on, professional training curriculum.”

The Blackbird grant program’s launch follows on the heels of the Guitar Center Music Foundation’s fourth annual benefit gala (Sept. 11) during which McBride and Grammy-winning songwriting/production duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis were both honored. McBrider eceived the foundation’s lifetime achievement award, presented by Martina and country legend Garth Brooks. McBride revealed the grant initiative’s launch during his acceptance speech noting, “Music can improve your life … and the whole world.”

Jam & Lewis were honored with the Vanguard Award, presented by Nicole Avant, daughter of the pair’s late mentor and music industry pioneer Clarence Avant. The foundation also honored firefighters and educators during the ceremony.

According to the foundation, this year’s gala doubled 2024’s fundraising efforts. Proceeds raised will go toward the foundation’s disaster relief program, helping musicians impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires by providing replacement instruments, gear and other recovery resources. Established earlier this year, the foundation’s program has already supported 600 individual musicians.

In addition to a silent auction, the gala staged a rousing musical salute to Jam & Lewis — under the direction of Adam Blackstone — which featured performances by Durand Bernarr, Eric Bellinger, Tina Campbell, Johnny Gill and Estelle. Jam and Lewis themselves closed out the evening inside Beverly Hills’ Maybourne Hotel ballroom, joining forces with former bandmates Morris Day and The Time.

“I’m delighted by the overwhelming success of this year’s gala,” said Guitar Center Music Foundation chairman David Helfant in a statement. “We raised a very large amount of money to further the foundation’s mission and programs. Special thanks to our honorees Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and John McBride, sponsors and everyone who attended. We look forward to utilizing the funds raised to continue to provide musical instruments and grants to musicians, schools, educators and hospitals for music education and music therapy. Music saves lives and the funds raised will help so many people across the country.”

Added gala chair Herb Trawick, “It was a magical night with amazing music, musicians and music people.”

For information about the Blackbird Grant and other programs, visit the Guitar Center Foundation website.