Welcome to The Traveling Guitar Foundation (TGF)
Traveling Guitar Foundation: The Founder Damon Marks
Damon Marks began playing the guitar passionately when he was ten years old. Since a young age, Damon has utilized his musical abilities in tandem with his impressive business acumen to achieve tremendous success in the music industry. Throughout his career, Damon has worked with a diverse range of very notable celebrity artists.
In 2008, Damon helped launch the female-fronted national rock band, Lipstick Magazine. Damon co-produced the band's debut album, Skin Deep, alongside Grammy Award winning recording engineer and multi-platinum producer Mike Plotnikoff. Damon also helped orchestrate the worldwide release of, Skin Deep. In support of the album, Lipstick Magazine undertook a national tour in which they opened for heavy metal icons such as Sebastian Bach, Extreme, Yes, Ratt, and Winger to name a few.
In 2009, Damon graced the stage for a solo performance with Bret Michaels performing Poison's smash hit "Talk Dirty To Me" to a sold out crowd in Allentown, PA.
In early 2010, Damon played guitar for R&B recording artist and winner of NBC’s Season Two of "The Voice", Jermaine Paul, the opening act for Alicia Keys "Freedom Tour". As a part of the tour, Damon played in numerous world-renowned arenas such as Madison Square Garden.
Photo Above: Founder Damon Marks speaks to a student assembly at Mosaic Preparatory Academy in East Harlem, NYC, about the importance of music ed
In 2013, Damon went on his first celebrity USO tour to Ramstein Airbase in Germany where he performed for and donated twenty new guitars to wounded warriors at seven military installations and military schools.
In 2010, Damon founded the Traveling Guitar Foundation. The Traveling Guitar Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to ensure that school children have access to high-quality musical instruments and instruction during a time when school systems across the country are facing budgetary restraints.
Damon, a New Jersey native has shown special interest in the school systems in and around the state of New Jersey. Through the Traveling Guitar Foundation he has funded over twenty schools in his home state most recently funding eight schools in the city of Elizabeth, NJ where Damon was raised and did all his schooling.
Initially, the Foundation established a substantial presence in the New York tri state area. However, the Foundation's profile has grown to an international level, with in school musical equipment donations and clinics taking place all over the country and abroad. Due to its extreme importance, the artists Damon has relations with and played guitar for have given major support to Traveling Guitar Foundation. Artists like Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, Daryl "DMC" McDaniel, Heart, Melanie Fiona, Leon Thomas III, Ariana Grande, Mike Reid, Victoria Justice, Mariah Carey, Michael Bolton and Rick Springfield.
Moreover, superstar athletes such as; Allan Houston, David Tyree, Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo have also taken notice of the Foundation’s mission and work. To date the Traveling Guitar Foundation has donated over 400 new guitars, various types of percussion; instrument cables and amplifiers positively impacting over 30,000 students in over 100 schools throughout the USA and abroad.
Learn more about Damon Marks
http://www.damonmarks.com/
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/damon-marks-mn0001018859
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/5/prweb10764378.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damon_Marks
May 2013 - Traveling Guitar Foundation and Founder Damon Marks received a resolution from the Elizabeth Board of Education, Board of Directors. He'll be bringing his foundation to as many schools as possible in Elizabeth, NJ, where he himself attended schools and has made lifelong friends. Guitars, equipment and a music curriculum will be donated to the schools. click on photo for a larger view.
