From June 2007 to September 2007, 30 10-foot, hand-painted, free-standing Gibson Les Paul replica guitars were on public display around More London on London's South Bank by City Hall, SE1. An additional 30 hand-painted and signed regular sized Gibson SG guitars were publicly displayed around The O2 Arena in Greenwich. All the associated visual artists, including Sir Peter Blake, Andrew Logan, Peter Saville and the caricaturist Gerald Scarfe, collaborated with many of Britain’s best known and respected musicians exclusively for the Gibson Guitartown London charity campaign.

Each 10-foot Gibson Les Paul replica guitar has been personally signed by rock & roll legends such as Sir Paul McCartney, Brian May, Robert Plant, Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, Rod Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, KT Tunstall, Bruce Dickinson, New Order, Dirty Pretty Things, Hard-Fi, Kasabian, Magic Numbers, James Blunt, Katie Melua, Mark Knopfler, Roxy Music and The Stereophonics.

Each Gibson SG guitar has been personally signed by musicians such as Ronnie Wood, Slash, Paul Rodgers, Roger Waters, Corinne Bailey Rae, Lemmy, Depeche Mode, The View, The Fratellis, Lost Prophets, Kaiser Chiefs and Mark Ronson.

All 62 Gibson guitars will be sold at the charity auction event to be held in IndigO2 at The O2 on Tuesday, November 20, 2007. The auction, hosted by Julien’s Auctions in association with Sotheby’s, will also be streamed online via the Auction Networks website and live eBay bidding.

To bid online and for more information on Gibson Guitartown London, go to www.londonguitartown.com.

To order the auction catalogue, go to www.juliensauctions.com/londonguitartown.

When Amy Winehouse’s (pictured, top) Back to Black debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in March, it marked the highest bow by a British female solo artist ever. A few weeks later, Joss Stone’s Introducing Joss Stone smashed her record by debuting at No. 2. James Blunt, Corrine Bailey Rae, KT Tunstall and Snow Patrol are striking gold, if not platinum, in the U.S.

“The current British invasion is due to a number of factors,” posits Evan Lamberg, EMI Music Publishing EVP of Creative for North America. “Top 40 radio is playing less and less hip-hop and rap. This is leaving more opportunity for great non-urban songwriters. VH-1 has done a tremendous job being early champions of these British acts. [Also], these acts are coming over to the U.S. again and again. Nothing replaces the good old-fashioned way of getting your hands in the dirt and taking your music to the people.”

Universal Republic president Monte Lipman, whose label handles Winehouse, Mika and Katie Melua in the U.S., calls these acts “a breath of fresh air. They don’t have a formula.”

For many of these artists, the first point of exposure for U.S. fans has been the Internet. “The industry has democratized where artists are empowered at a grassroots level like myspace,” says David Sinclair, a London-based journalist who writes for The Times.

The latest wave started in 2004 when Snow Patrol quietly crept onto U.S. shores with Final Straw. The Scottish-Irish quintet, with its often intense, always melodic, alternative rock, toured frequently in the U.S., slowly building an audience. By the time Eyes Open came out in the U.S. in May 2006, Americans were ready to hear more. That album’s “Chasing Cars” became the go-to song for hip TV shows, airing on outlets like Grey’s Anatomy, and leading the track to take up residency in the upper reaches of Billboard’s Adult Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts. According to Universal Music International, the album has sold close to four million copies worldwide.

Scotland is responsible for much more than one-half of Snow Patrol and has also given us KT Tunstall. The Scottish lass began promoting herself in the U.S. long before her Relentless/Virgin debut came out in February 2006. Among her memorable gigs was a stirring acoustic set at BMI/Billboard’s SXSW brunch in March 2005.

Her big break in the U.K. came when she performed “Black Horse & the Cherry Tree” on the influential British TV program Later with Jools Holland with less than 24 hours’ notice after another act cancelled. Eye to the Telescope, which had come out to little fanfare, was re-released and eventually shot up to No. 3 on the British album charts.

In the U.S., “Black Horse” has spent more than a year on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart while the second single, “Suddenly I See,” has been locked in the upper reaches of the chart for more than four months. Eye to the Telescope has been on the Billboard 200 for more than 65 weeks.

The latest Scottish imports impacting in the U.S. are The Fratellis. The first major U.S. exposure for the Scottish trio, all of whom have adopted bassist Barry Fratelli’s last name, came from iTune’s use of the utterly infectious “Flathead” in television ads. The trio’s debut, Costello Music (Cherry Tree/Interscope), revels in retro music that sounds instantly recognizable while new at the same time. The group can also be heard on the soundtrack to the movie Hot Fuzz.

While bands like Snow Patrol and the Fratellis are having their day, solo artists like former British Army captain James Blunt are leading the charge.

While many of the U.K.-based acts come to the U.S. via the American label’s U.K. affiliate, Blunt’s entry point was through Linda Perry’s Custard imprint. Perry signed the singer/songwriter after he’d linked with EMI Music Publishing in London. By the time Back to Bedlam came out in the U.S on Custard/Atlantic, the album had already hit No. 1 in the U.K. The first U.S. single, “You’re Beautiful,” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first song by a British performer to top that chart in 10 years.

Blunt rode the success of Bedlam and “Beautiful” to five Grammy nominations.

Like Blunt, fellow Brit Corinne Bailey Rae had already hit No. 1 in her native U.K. when she came over here with her sweetly nuanced, mellow tunes. Her self-titled chart topper made her only the fourth female singer in the history of the British charts to debut at No. 1 with her first album. In the U.S., her rise has been no less spectacular, bolstered by major TV exposure via outlets like “Oprah Winfrey.” Rae snared three Grammy nominations, including the coveted best new artist. Her debut has surpassed the platinum mark here, pushed by first single “Put Your Records On.”

While Rae has gotten her share of press, seldom has an artist caused quite the media stir as Amy Winehouse. She’s a critical darling as famous for her beehive and tattoos as her shimmery, soulful, girl-group musical style.

The Enfield, England native’s Back to Black has already sold more than 1.2 million in the U.K. and helped Winehouse capture the Brit Award for best British female artist in February.

“She’s one part soul diva, one part jazz singer and one part rock star,” says Lamberg. “A deadly combo.”

“Fortunately for us, Amy loves to tour,” says Lipman, who notes she’ll play U.S. dates in June and this fall.

Winehouse’s U.S. labelmate Katie Melua was born in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, but ultimately settled in Surrey, England. At 15, Melua won a televised talent competition and was on her way. The classic pop singer released Call off the Search in 2003 and the album went on to sell 1.2 million copies in the U.K. alone. Her second album, Piece by Piece, moved 1.8 million copies in the U.K., with worldwide sales of more than 3 million.

Like Melua, Mika is another British immigrant. His music was created out of the unending loneliness that Mika says often engulfed him after his family moved from Beirut to Paris and, ultimately, to London. Vocally, he’s a cross between Freddie Mercury (whom he references on his first single, “Grace Kelly”) and Robbie Williams. The colorful ’70s, psychedelic pop images that are the album art for Life in Cartoon Motion and his videos are as much a part of his image as his delectable, pop music.

“With Mika, the key word is different,” says Lipman. “Even though people respect the success you’re having, people [at pop radio] look at us kind of sideways and say ‘You expect me to play that?’ and we say your listeners have spoken.” Indeed, the album racked up several consecutive weeks as the No. 1 pop album on iTunes.

Like Mika, Lily Allen’s personality is as big as her music. Her music is classic pop, but she ties in ska, rap and her other influences to create a thoroughly modern and invigorating sound. Not surprisingly, Alright, Still has gone double platinum in her native England and platinum in Europe. It debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 and continues to sell well.

Part of the strength of the current British invasion is its diversity. British rapper Lady Sovereign caused waves of excitement when she became the first non-American female signed to Jay-Z’s Def Jam label.

The press excitement has outweighed sales so far, but Sinclair says that’s not surprising given how outside the mainstream her music is. “She’s a grime queen, it’s deep hardcore. It’s like East London rap, drum and bass.” But that edge is what has made the Wembley, England native such a phenomenon at 21. “She’s very alternative,” Sinclair continues. “She’s a name that people like to drop and frequently do.”

Her debut album, Public Warning, entered the Billboard Top 200 at No. 48, but her popularity is sure to rise when she opens for Gwen Stefani this summer.

Similar to Lady Sovereign, Don Corleon relies on street rhythms to propel his sound. The leading Jamaican dancehall artist/producer has helped advance the dancehall movement in the U.S. through his work with such acts as Sean Paul, Rihanna, Beenie Man, Capleton, Bounty Hunter and Wayne Wonder. Kartel, noting a resemblance between the two, allegedly gave Donovan Bennett the Don Corleon moniker, as a takeoff on Marlon Brando’s “Godfather” character, Don Corleone.

As these artists continue to make inroads in America, Sinclair expects today’s success to continue to swell: “Everyone in Britain is trying to make a record,” he says, with only a little overstatement. “It’s a river that’s burst its banks and it’s flowing in all directions.”

Katie was born in 1984 in the former U.S.S.R. and lived in Moscow for a while, but she spent most of her childhood in the seaside town of Batumi in what is now Georgia. When she was nine, the family moved to Belfast, and, five years later, they relocated to South East London. Katie was 15 when she won first prize in a TV talent competition, singing Mariah Carey’s “Without You.” She also gained valuable experience by performing live on ITV. After writing and producing music on her computer, Katie “got to the music industry because I went to the Brit School, the performing arts school. Mike Batt came one day about a year ago and heard me sing one of the songs.”

Influenced by Queen, Bob Dylan, Eva Cassidy, Indian music and Irish folk tunes, Katie began writing songs two years ago. Her album, which has “a jazzy, bluesy feel,” contains two of her own songs; she also performs five tracks written by Batt and some old blues/jazz standards, while the main accompaniment is acoustic guitar and piano. According to Batt, “Artists like Katie don’t come along very often.” Her fresh voice and natural talent for performing make her a “true original.”

For Katie, who wanted to be a politician or a historian when she was 13, politics are an essential point. “I never wanted to be famous, but I do want people to hear my music,” she said. And her next album will be “more political.”

BMI will present the first in a series of educational seminars on Wednesday, July 28 from Guitar Center's Manhattan store (25 W. 14th St.). This unique event entitled "Career Connection," starts at 7:00pm and is free and open to the public. Speakers include two of the music industry's most successful executives, Atlantic Records Chairman/CEO Jason Flom and EMI Music Publishing Executive Vice President Evan Lamberg, who will discuss the new realities for artists and songwriters in the digital music age. BMI's Charlie Feldman, Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations in New York, will moderate.

The seminar will be webcast live exclusively on Songwriter101.com, a new website that focuses on the business side of songwriting. Topics include getting the attention of a "major" in an era of smaller artist rosters; artist development in the digital age and the new dynamic of radio, TV and the web; and the re-emergence of the songwriter/artist career path. Future BMI/Guitar Center seminars will feature top artists, managers, agents, producers and executives from around the industry.

Jason Flom is Chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records Group. He served as President of Lava Records, the label he founded within Atlantic Records, from 1995 to 2004. He has worked with and signed such multimillion-selling artists as Tori Amos, Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker, matchbox twenty, Sugar Ray, The Corrs, Stone Temple Pilots, Collective Soul, Twisted Sister, Skid Row and White Lion.

Evan Lamberg has held various creative manager positions at Jobete Music, MCA Music Publishing, and EMI Music Publishing, where he now serves as Executive Vice President. He works with and has signed such artists and songwriters as Rob Thomas (matchbox twenty), Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Jakob Dylan (The Wallflowers), Hootie & the Blowfish, Pharrell Williams (The Neptunes), Jessica Simpson, Kelis, BeBe Winans, Ludacris, Pink, Paula Abdul, Jewel and John Rzeznik (Goo Goo Dolls).

Charlie Feldman is Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations at BMI, where he directs all writer/publisher relations and administrative activities for the company's New York office. A board member of the New York Chapter of the Recording Academy and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Feldman has worked closely with songwriter/artists such as R. Kelly, Carole King, the Neville Brothers, Full Force, Tony Joe White and emerging star Katie Melua.