Blackie (guitar)
Fender Stratocaster "Blackie" | |
---|---|
Clapton with "Blackie" performing in 1978 | |
Manufacturer | Fender |
Period | Pre-CBS |
Construction | |
Body type | Stratocaster |
Neck joint | Bolt-on |
Woods | |
Body | Alder |
Neck | Maple |
Fretboard | Maple |
Hardware | |
Bridge | Standard Fender Synchronized |
Pickup(s) | S-S-S |
Blackie is the nickname given by Eric Clapton to his favorite Fender Stratocaster.
Background
In 1970, Clapton switched from Gibson electric guitars to Fender Stratocasters, largely due to the influences of Jimi Hendrix and Blind Faith bandmate Steve Winwood. His first Stratocaster, nicknamed "Brownie" because of its sunburst brown finish, was used on his albums Eric Clapton and Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.
The same year, Clapton found the Sho-Bud guitar shop in Nashville, Tennessee. He bought six 1950s Fender Stratocasters for two or three hundred US dollars each (roughly US$1,500-2,300 each in 2023 dollars). After giving one each to George Harrison, Pete Townshend, and Steve Winwood, he took the best parts of the remaining three (built c. 1956 and 1957) and Nashville luthier Ted Newman Jones assembled "Blackie", so named for its black finish.[1]
Clapton first played Blackie live 13 January 1973 at the Rainbow Concert. Clapton would play Blackie for many years on and off stage (such as in his guest appearance in The Last Waltz); finally, after the Behind The Sun tour in 1985, it was retired due to issues with the neck. In 1988, the Eric Clapton Stratocaster was released, according to Clapton's specifications; he began playing his new signature model shortly after.
Blackie was seen again by the public for a 1990 television commercial for the Japanese automobile firm Honda when, at the specific request of the company, Clapton used Blackie to record a new guitar solo on "Bad Love" in New York and was filmed for the commercial doing so. Blackie was also brought out on stage for one number during the Royal Albert Hall shows in 1991. In 2019, the guitar was on display at the "Play it Loud!" exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, also featuring other instruments from iconic musicians.[2]
Songs recorded with "Blackie"
Clapton played "Blackie" almost exclusively on stage and in the studio from 1974 to 1985 recording hits such as "Cocaine", "I Shot The Sheriff", "Wonderful Tonight", "Farther Up the Road", "Lay Down Sally" and various live versions of "Layla" featured on several album covers and videos.
World record auction
In 2004, Blackie was sold for US$959,500 at a Christie's auction to support the Crossroads Centre, a drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation centre founded by Clapton. The auction's winner was the music equipment chain Guitar Center, and the bid set the record for the world's most expensive guitar. In 2006, another Stratocaster—signed by a large group of celebrities, including Clapton—was auctioned to benefit the victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami, selling for US$2.8 million and surpassing Blackie's record.
Custom Shop reproduction
In November 2006, Fender announced a limited run of 275 Blackie reissues by the Fender Custom Shop, identical to the original.[3] They were released on 24 November 2006 and sold out within hours. The original Blackie was exhaustively examined and measured for the reproduction. The reproduction Blackies were constructed by a team of master builders, with each of the various 275 produced being assigned to one master builder.
See also
- The Fool
- Brownie
- List of guitars
References
- ^ "Blackie (Fender Stratocaster)". Where's Eric. Archived from the original on 11 January 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
- ^ "Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll". www.metmuseum.org. Met Museum. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ^ "Eric Clapton "Blackie" Stratocaster". Rimmersmusic.com. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
External links
- BLACKIE: ERIC CLAPTON'S FENDER STRATOCASTER
- Clapton explains his relationship with Blackie
- Fender Custom Shop Blackie from their Tribute Series
- v
- t
- e
- Eric Clapton
- 461 Ocean Boulevard
- There's One in Every Crowd
- No Reason to Cry
- Slowhand
- Backless
- Another Ticket
- Money and Cigarettes
- Behind the Sun
- August
- Journeyman
- From the Cradle
- Pilgrim
- Reptile
- Me and Mr. Johnson / Sessions for Robert J
- Back Home
- Clapton
- Old Sock
- I Still Do
- Happy Xmas
- Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert
- E. C. Was Here
- Just One Night
- Time Pieces Vol.II Live in the Seventies
- 24 Nights
- Unplugged
- Crossroads 2: Live in the Seventies
- One More Car, One More Rider
- Live in San Diego
- Crossroads Guitar Festival 2019
- The Lady in the Balcony: Lockdown Sessions
- Nothing but the Blues
- The History of Eric Clapton
- Eric Clapton at His Best
- Clapton
- Steppin' Out
- Timepieces: The Best of Eric Clapton
- Backtrackin'
- The Cream of Eric Clapton
- Crossroads
- Story
- The Cream of Clapton
- Blues
- Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton
- Complete Clapton
- Forever Man
- "After Midnight" / "Easy Now"
- "Blues Power" / "Bottle of Red Wine"
- "Let It Rain"
- "I Shot the Sheriff" / "Give Me Strength"
- "Willie and the Hand Jive"
- "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"
- "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
- "Hello Old Friend"
- "Carnival"
- "Lay Down Sally" / "Cocaine"
- "Wonderful Tonight"
- "Tulsa Time"
- "Promises" / "Watch Out for Lucy"
- "Early in the Morning (Live)"
- "I Can't Stand It"
- "I've Got a Rock 'n' Roll Heart"
- "Crosscut Saw"
- "Forever Man"
- "It's in the Way That You Use It"
- "Behind the Mask"
- "Tearing Us Apart"
- "Pretending" / "Before You Accuse Me"
- "Hound Dog"
- "Bad Love"
- "Tears in Heaven" / "White Room (Live)"
- "Layla (Acoustic)"
- "Down & Out"
- "Motherless Child" / "Driftin'"
- "Change the World"
- "Born in Time"
- "Circus"
- "My Father's Eyes"
- "Pilgrim"
- "Blue Eyes Blue"
- "(I) Get Lost"
- "Come Rain or Come Shine" / "Ten Long Years"
- "3 O'Clock Blues"
- "Key to the Highway"
- "Worried Life Blues"
- "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It"
- "Every Little Thing" / "No Sympathy"
- Edge of Darkness
- Homeboy
- Rush
- Live 1986
- The Cream of Eric Clapton
- Live in Hyde Park
- In Concert: A Benefit for the Crossroads Centre at Antigua
- Sessions for Robert J
- Crossroads Guitar Festival 2004
- Live at Montreux 1986
- Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007
- Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010
- Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013
- Planes, Trains and Eric
- Slowhand at 70 – Live at the Royal Albert Hall
- Crossroads Guitar Festival 2019
- Riding with the King
- The Road to Escondido
- Live from Madison Square Garden
- Play the Blues: Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center
- Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013
- The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale
- "I Wish It Would Rain Down"
- "Runaway Train"
- Journeyman World Tour
- George Harrison–Eric Clapton 1991 Japanese Tour
- Reptile World Tour
- 2019 Eric Clapton World Tour
- Blackie
- Brownie
- The Fool
- Marshall Bluesbreaker
- Signature Stratocaster
- Crossroads Centre
- Crossroads Guitar Festival
- Pattie Boyd
- George Harrison
- Ferrari SP12 EC
- Va Bene
- Wonderful Today
- "Clapton is God"
- On Tour with Eric Clapton
- Nothing but the Blues
- Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars