The Fender Stratocaster celebrates its 70th birthday this year, and as a gift, a lineup of celebrated rock guitarists came together for an all-star recording of “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” by the most iconic Strat owner of all time, Jimi Hendrix.
The wide range of artists appearing on the cover is a testament to the Stratocaster’s versatility. Head-banger Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), disco progenitor Nile Rodgers (Chic), Australian indie-psych sensation Tash Sultana, and bluesman Jimmie Vaughan (Fabulous Thunderbirds) all provide individualized takes on the instrument’s classic sound. Also appearing in the video are “Ms. Fender” herself Ari O’Neal (Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, SZA), Rebecca Lovell (Larkin Poe) and her husband Tyler Bryant, viral Brazilian guitarist Mateus Asato, Japanese singer-songwriter-guitarist Rei, and Scotland’s Simon Neil (Biffy Clyro, Marmaduke Duke). Session bassist Craig Young holds down the low end while Aaron Sterling (John Mayer) provides calamitous drumming on the instrumental recording.
“I got my Stratocaster in 1973 when I realized that it was what my sound was missing, and once I did it changed my life 1000%,” Nile Rodgers said. “I have been able to write the jazz-influenced dance-disco funk-pop songs that people have loved for decades as well as rock, country, folk and EDM collaborations thanks to my Strat.”
Designed by Fender founder Leo Fender himself and released in 1954, the Stratocaster was a revolutionary step forward in guitar manufacturing as it was the first of a new wave of instruments to step away from the previous hollowbody jazz-style electrics. It was only fitting that the guitar would become the favorite of another revolutionary, Jimi Hendrix, who brought it to widespread prominence when he burst onto the scene in the late 1960s. In the seven decades since its release, the Strat became an established favorite for rock royalty including David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Mark Knopfler, Rory Gallagher, Kurt Cobain, John Frusciante, Dean Ween, and many more, and is still appreciated by rising stars of today like H.E.R., Steve Lacy, and others. Of the 13 most expensive guitars ever sold at auction, four are Strats (two of which belonged to David Gilmour).
Fender will celebrate the Stratocaster’s birthday all year with the release of seven new models, “each meticulously designed to pay homage to the Stratocaster guitars’ enduring legacy.” Check out the Fender 70th-anniversary collection here and watch the all-Stratocaster cover of “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” below.
Various Artists – “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” (Jimi Hendrix) | The Year Of The Strat | Fender
The post Tom Morello, Nile Rodgers, Tash Sultana Shred On All-Stratocaster “Voodoo Child” Cover [Watch] appeared first on L4LM.
