Butch Walker will on Aug. 24 release "Letters," his second solo album and first for Epic. The former Marvelous 3 member co-produced the set with Jim Ebert (Jason Falkner, Meredith Brooks), and largely recorded it at his own Ruby Red Studios Productions studio in Atlanta. First single "Mixtape" will precede the set next month.

An acoustic version of "Mixtape," along with cuts from the album and several B-sides will make up "The Heartwork EP." The set will be sold via iTunes, his official Web site and at upcoming live shows. Walker has a handful of dates with American HiFi both opening for and backing him, which will kick off July 23 in Birchmere, Va.

Outside of his solo work, Walker has become an in-demand producer, working with the likes of Avril Lavigne and Sevendust. He has most recently had a hand in upcoming projects with Bowling For Soup, American HiFi, Midtown and the Donnas.

-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

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Ben Taylor will join the cast of the NBC period drama "American Dreams" for several episodes of the show's upcoming third season. He will make his acting debut as Cal, a singer/songwriter and romantic interest for one of the series' main characters, Beth Mason, played by Rachel Boston.

"It will be a good way for me to get my feet wet in acting as the character I am playing is very much like myself," says Taylor, who is the son of singer/songwriter James Taylor. "In the meantime I am trying to finish my band's new album and really trying not to think about the fact that I have never acted."

The Ben Taylor Band is in Atlanta working on "Another Run Around the Sun" with producer Rick Beato (Flickerstick). The set will be released in the fall on his own Iris label (distributed in North America through MRI) to coincide with the premiere of "American Dreams."

The group's 2003 Iris set "Famous Around the Barns" peaked at No. 31 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart.

-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

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The first Gibson Jimmy Page Signature Les Paul guitar from Gibson Guitar Corp.'s Custom, Art & Historic Division has been sold for a reported $55,000 to an anonymous buyer. The figure, more than double its suggested list price, is a record for a new, first-run Gibson guitar.

Page signed and numbered each of the first 25 guitars of the series on the back of the headstock. The signature model replicates the dings, scratches, playing wear and unique shape of Page's "Number One," a 1959 Les Paul Standard that he acquired in 1969 and used on many Led Zeppelin recordings, including "Whole Lotta Love" and "Rock and Roll."

Gibson's Custom, Art & Historic Division offers three version of the instrument: a first run of 25 signed guitars, a second run of 150 unsigned guitars, followed by an open run.