The year was 1970, and after years playing several
different guitar makes and models, Eric
Clapton, the British bluesman, began searching
for his next muse.
Eventually, he ended up in the Sho-Bud guitar
shop, a small music store in Nashville. There he
found a rack of vintage Fender Teles and Strats.
He was astonished to find that each instrument
was for sale for a mere $100. He bought six of
the instruments and, upon returning to England,
gave three of the guitars as gifts to George
Harrison, Pete Townshend and Steve Winwood;
keeping the remaining three for himself.
After playing each one, Clapton decided to do
something he’d never done before—to
build one “ultimate” instrument out of the best
parts of each Strat. He began by selecting a ’56
alder body finished in black nitrocellulose lacquer.
He chose a one-piece, hard V-shaped maple
neck from a ’57; the pickups and hardware
were pulled and installed. Clapton knew that
by tampering with each of the vintage
instruments, he was lessening their value;
what he didn’t know then was that the resulting
instrument – which he affectionately nicknamed,
“Blackie,” due to its finish – would follow
him through some of his most creative and
successful periods.
Blackie quickly became Clapton’s favorite
instrument, and would be his main guitar
during one of his most prolific periods,
1973 to 1985. He introduced Blackie to
the world on Jan. 13, 1973, at the Eric
Clapton Rainbow Concert—an all-star
performance at London’s Rainbow
Theater that later yielded the Eric
Clapton’s Rainbow Concert album.
Clapton returned to the studio with Blackie
in tow to record his second solo album. 461
Ocean Boulevard yielded one of his most recognizable
hits, the Bob Marley-penned “I Shot the
Sheriff.” The album flew to number one and reestablished
Clapton’s artistry and status among
rock’s elite. He remained highly prolific throughout
the rest of the ’70s and into the ’80s,
recording 13 solo albums from 1973 to 1985, all
with Blackie.
While each album had its merits, few of his recordings—
solo or otherwise—match the popularity of
1977’s Slowhand. The album cover featured a photo
of Clapton playing Blackie, and featured several of
his biggest hits, including “Wonderful Tonight,” “Lay
Down Sally” and “Cocaine,” and a tour-de-force guitar
solo on “The Core.”
In addition to Clapton’s studio recordings, Blackie
was also heard live as part of some of the most
monumental rock concerts of all time, including
the star-studded 1983 ARMS benefit tour, featuring
Ronnie Lane, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Steve
Winwood, Joe Cocker and members of the
Rolling Stones, and Live Aid in 1985. Eventually
Blackie would be auctioned off in 2004 to benefit
the Crossroads Centre, Antigua—a charity founded
by Clapton. It sold for $959,500, making it the
most valued guitar ever to have been sold at auction
at the time.
For the Tribute Series Eric Clapton Blackie
Stratocaster, the Fender Custom Shop has recreated
the legendary instrument down to the last
detail. From the worn-to-the-wood body, the
neck reshaped by Clapton’s own hand, the
unmistakable cigarette burns on the headstock to
the world-weary “Duck Brothers” flight case,
every historical detail is recreated. All the parts,
pickups and electronics are aged and matched to
the unique specifications of Blackie, right down
to the flaked-off finish, which was lovingly filled
in with pen ink—just like the original.
