New Telecaster 75th Tribute Set for Ryman with “Top” Names
If you know anything about country music, you know how integral the Fender Telecaster guitar has been to the music’s twangy sound over the years. Different from the more rock-oriented Stratocaster or other guitar models, it’s the Tele’s features like the lipstick pickup near the neck that’s lent to so many of those spine-tingling leads in your favorite country songs over the years.
That is why on Monday, May 4th at the Mother Church of Country Music, a major roster of talent will assemble to celebrate 75 years of the Telecaster, and of course, do a little pickin’. Legendary Tele players and master guitarists like Zach Top, Brent Mason, Brad Paisley, Derek Wells, Guthrie Trapp, James Burton, Luke McQueary, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner, and Brothers Osborne’s Tele slinger John Osborne will all be appearing.
Usually the guitarist plays second fiddle to the singer and primary performer in country music. But it happens to be that some of the greatest performers in country have also been Tele players, like Zach Top and Brad Paisley, and even back in the day with Marty Stuart, Waylon Jennings, and so many others. Ricky Skaggs might be considered mostly a bluegrass guy, but during his electric era in the ’80s, he could pick Tele as good as any.
“Serving as musical director for Tele Town is a true honor, especially in my home city of Nashville, where I grew up and where the Telecaster’s legacy runs so deep,” says noted Tele player Derek Wells. “Putting this show together has been about more than just great players, it’s about capturing the spirit of an instrument that’s shaped so much of the music we all love. This lineup is full of people who’ve lived with this guitar onstage and in the studio … you’ll see people playing with love and reverence for what this instrument has meant to us all.”
Along with the show at the Ryman Auditorium, the day before on May 3rd there will be a Telecaster Roadshow at Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville with Masterbuilder Paul Waller, master Pickup Winder Josefina Campos, and Fender’s Chief Engineer of Guitars Tim Shaw all on hand from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.
“75 years after its debut, the Telecaster remains proof that simplicity endures, adaptable enough to move across genres, generations, and stages without losing its identity. This celebration is our way of honoring not just an instrument, but a cultural phenomenon that has shaped music for over seven decades,” says Fender President of Americas, Justin Norvell.
Tickets are available through axs.com.
March 31, 2026 @ 6:57 pm
Very cool! I was so impressed recently by Rob Leines tearing it up on a tele
April 4, 2026 @ 8:21 am
Rob Leines is great.
Saw him at Duke’s in INDY, a few years ago. Very nice guy.
And, his drummer was a total trip.
Couldn’t help but laugh out loud, watching his drummer, at that time, play.
March 31, 2026 @ 7:02 pm
Guess they never hear Conrad Fisher bending Ragamuffin Brand Tele strings….
March 31, 2026 @ 8:04 pm
I’d think Redd Volkaert would be part of this. I first heard of him when Dale Watson was talking him up, but Redd spent years in Nashville and went on the road playing for country stars from Ray Price and Haggard to the Statler Brothers. Dale considered it a major validation to have Volkaert playing in his band. Volkaert began making his own albums in the late’90s-’00s for High Tone and other labels and the album titles maybe suggest what he’s about: “Telewacker,” “No Stranger to a Tele,”Teletwang.” Red’s about 68. His website says he’s still playing in Virginia, where he lives, and performing and giving remote guitar lessons to students from half a dozen countries.
April 1, 2026 @ 1:54 am
Redd’s a fantastic player!
Another ‘Titan if the Telecaster’ who is still alive and kicking – and playing! – is Bill Kirchen.
But I guess they can’t include everybody.
April 1, 2026 @ 4:42 am
Red is a great player and a nice guy, him and Bill Kirchen should both be there, and what about Vince Gill, not that he always plays a Tele, but he can tear it up with the best of them
April 1, 2026 @ 6:31 am
Redd participated in the Roberts Western World 25th anniversary show in The Don Kelley Band reunion which included many of these guys. Guthrie Trapp should have been there but couldn’t make it. Nice to see him in the mix now. Hes been playing with Tom Bukovac and Jedd Hughes recently and the three are putting an instrumental guitar album out soon. Skaggs is a particularly exciting inclusion as he is an underrated Tele- man. Luke McQueary is the current Kelleys heroes picker and the last one Don Kelley hired. Hes a bright shining light on Broadway and a big reason to go to Robert’s. This show is incredibly exciting for pickers and players. I hope it’s streamed. Wow this came out of nowhere!
April 1, 2026 @ 7:47 am
The thing about tributes like this is you can include everybody, and like ANY list, people want to say it’s illegitimate because so and so isn’t involved, or it’s illegitimate because so and so is. Redd Volkaert lives in Galax, Virginia now and is basically retired. Bill Kirtchen lives here in Austin. Both are excellent, legendary players. I would have loved to see Daniel Donato involved with this as well. But I think they did a great job curating this with names from across the spectrum, big mainstream names, session musicians, legends, and traditionalists. They could have only gone with Paisley, Vince Gill, and Keith Urban—a three great players, but not really representative of the span of influences.
April 1, 2026 @ 5:33 pm
How about Dwight? What is the Bakersfield sound without the Tele? Can’t celebrate the Tele without having Bakersfield represented…
April 2, 2026 @ 2:11 pm
Glad to see you mention Daniel Donato in the comments section. As far as Teles go, he’s my favorite player at the moment. And yeah, Dwight would fit right in too.
March 31, 2026 @ 8:27 pm
If they have any sense, they’ll get someone there to start the show with the opening licks to “7&7”.
March 31, 2026 @ 8:28 pm
John Osborne is a great guitar player. He really has taken me by surprise on a number of things I’ve heard.
April 1, 2026 @ 4:11 am
Vince Gill!
April 1, 2026 @ 4:17 am
And the VAST majority “of those spine tingling leads” have been played on the angled rear (bridge) pickup with the exposed pole pieces.
April 1, 2026 @ 7:33 am
Jimmy Page’s Tele is responsible for tons of Les Paul sales.
April 1, 2026 @ 12:04 pm
Classic guitar joke Harry. Yes Led Zeppelins entire first album was largely recorded with a Tele. But Page was always associated with Gibsons.
April 1, 2026 @ 9:20 am
There are many modern technologies I wish had never been invented, but the Telecaster is definitely not one of them.
April 1, 2026 @ 3:15 pm
Don’t forget the Precision Bass.
April 1, 2026 @ 1:11 pm
Out of my 31 guitars, 15 of them are Teles.
April 2, 2026 @ 7:11 am
Reads like this will be a really good show. I hope it will be video recorded so it can be viewed by future guitar players and people that don’t live close to Nashville.
The May 3 seminar is also a don’t miss event.
April 5, 2026 @ 6:32 pm
Can anyone say, “Don Rich?”