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
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.