By Phyllis Pollack
Guitar icon Jimi Hendrix and founding Fender employee George Fullerton will be inducted during fourth annual Fender Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which will be held from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Fri., Aug. 13, 2010, at the Tempe Center of the Arts in Tempe, Arizona.
The Fender Hall of Fame was created three years ago as a way to annually extend recognition to Fender founders, artists, leaders, innovators and other significant musically historic figures, and honor their contributions to the company’s legacy.
Special guests at the 2010 induction ceremony will include Jimi's sister Janie Hendrix, Eddie Kramer, Geoff Fullerton, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Chris Layton.
Janie Hendrix, CEO of Experience Hendrix LLC, has the lead role in preserving and protecting the ongoing legacy of her legendary stepbrother, Jimi Hendrix. As the head of the Hendrix estate for nearly a decade, she will be present at the induction ceremony that afternoon to accept the honor on behalf of Jimi Hendrix and their family.
Famed recording producer and engineer Eddie Kramer is best known for his work recording Jimi Hendrix. He was involved in the recording process of every seminal Hendrix album from the 1967 debut Are You Experienced to 1971’s The Cry of Love. His fingerprints are also on albums by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Peter Frampton and many other artists.
Fender’s Geoff Fullerton is the son of George Fullerton, one of Leo Fender’s best friends, first employees and key right-hand men during Fender’s original 1940s-1960s golden age. A generation later, Geoff Fullerton has lent his own talents as a builder at the Fender Custom Shop in Corona, California. He still works there today and will be on hand at the induction ceremony to accept the honor on behalf of his father and family.
The fourth annual Fender Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will also feature a musical performance by noted blues guitarist/singer/songwriter Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who will be backed by drummer Chris Layton, formerly of Double Trouble, and also known for his work with a variety of artists including Storyville, Arc Angels, Doyle Bramhall II and many others.
George William Fullerton (1923-2009) was a major player (no pun intended) during Fender’s original 1940s-1960s golden age. In the mid-1940s, as a professional musician with a keen interest in electronics, George became friends with Leo Fender. The two men eventually became business associates after Leo enlisted George to sign on with the growing guitar and amplifier company. With his artistic sense and natural ability to translate ideas into practical applications and machinery on the factory, Fullerton contributed to the creation of several of the most important musical instruments of the 20th century, including the Telecaster®, Stratocaster, Precision Bass® and Jazz Bass® guitars.
George Fullerton reported to work at Fender on Feb. 2, 1948, after performing several years of side work for Leo. He ran the small shop and supervised the crew during those first formative years. He became vice president in charge of production in April 1959, and from that early era through the 1960s, he remained a business partner long after both men retired from Fender in 1970.
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) is one of the world's leading manufacturers of both acoustic and electric guitars. Iconic Fender® instruments such as the Telecaster®, Stratocaster®, Precision Bass® and Jazz Bass® guitars are known worldwide as the instruments that started the rock revolution, and they continue to be highly prized by today’s musicians and collectors. FMIC brands include Fender®, Squier®, Guild®, Gretsch®, Jackson®, Charvel®, SWR®, EVH®, Tacoma®, Olympia® and Brand X®
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