Guitar Time

Stratocaster - Early Masters

Jun 13, 2009 stratocaster
Posted by freddy1955

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The Fender Stratocaster is the highest selling, most often copied electric guitar design ever.

Countless electric guitar players have advanced the fame of the Fender Stratocaster, and here are a few early ‘Masters of the Stratocaster’:

Bill Carson

Bill Carson was a California Western swing guitarist who played prototypes of the Stratocaster in the early 1950s. His input and advice helped Leo Fender refine the Stratocaster’s design.

Buddy Holly

While the Stratocaster was released in 1954, it did not begin to achieve popularity until Buddy Holly appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1957 playing a maple-neck Strat. Holly was also pictured on the cover of The Crickets’ 1957 album The “Chirping” Crickets with a sunburst Stratocaster, inspiring The Shadows’ Hank Marvin to adopt the guitar.

A Stratocaster is engraved on Buddy Holly’s tombstone.

Dick Dale

Surf guitar master Dick Dale owns a Stratocaster that was given to him personally by Leo Fender in 1955. Dick Dale is considered by many to be a pioneer of surf music and he still plays live gigs to this day.  His unique staccato playing style and early use of reverb makes him one of the early masters of the Stratocaster.

Hank Marvin

Hank Marvin played guitar with a group callled The Shadows. Legend has it that the Crickets’ album cover above inspired Hank Marvin to obtain a Fender Stratocaster.

Ultimately Hank Marvin obtained the first Fender Stratocaster imported into the UK, and played it from 1959 - 1961. It was a Fiesta Red Fender Stratocaster, imported by famous recording artist Cliff Richard.

Jimi Hendrix

In 1962 and 1963, Jimi Hendrix was playing the Chitlin Circuit in the Southern US. Hendrix’ career in the US progressed slowly, but by late 1966, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was famous in the UK and Western Europe.

The album Are You Experienced was released in the UK on May 12, 1967.

Hendrix played the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967, his first big success in the USA.

Jimi Hendrix died on September 18, 1970, only 3 years after becoming an internationally famous recording artist.

Jimi Hendrix’ musical influence has probably sold more Fender Stratocaster guitars than anyone else.

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