An in-depth history and celebration of over six decades of the Tele, now available in paperback. The Fender Telecaster is a working-class hero and the ultimate blue-collar guitar. It wasn't meant to be elegant, pretty, or sophisticated. Designed to be a utilitarian musical instrument, it has lived up to that destiny. In the hands of players from Muddy Waters to James Burton, Bruce Springsteen to Joe Strummer, the Telecaster has made the music of working people - country, blues, punk, rock 'n' roll, and even jazz. Now available in paperback, this is the complete tale of the electric guitar that came to work and continues to work hard more than a half century after its birth, still resonating with the purity of the first slab of swamp ash that was carved into that now-iconic single-cutaway design. Packed with more than 400 photos of players, guitars, and memorabilia, as well as profiles of the greatest Telecaster players ever, here, finally, is the first suitable tribute to the electric guitar that changed the world.

Author Biography

DAVE HUNTER is an author, musician, and journalist. He is the author of several popular books about guitars, amps, and effects, including Voyageur Press's Star Guitars, The Fender Stratocaster, The Gibson Les Paul, and 365 Guitars, Amps & Effects You Must Play. A regular contributor to Guitar Player and Vintage Guitar magazines, he resides in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. WILKO JOHNSON is best known as the frenetic guitarist for the 1970s English R&B group Dr. Feelgood, who were an acknowledged influence on the punk rock movement that followed. Mr. Johnson was also guitarist in his own band, the Solid Senders, and for a time in Ian Dury & the Blockheads. He also appeared in four episodes of Game of Thrones and in 2014 released the well-received album Going Back Home with Roger Daltrey. REDD VOLKAERT succeeded Roy Nichols as lead guitarist in Merle Haggard's backing band and is one of the most revered Telecaster players in the world.