Overview

Occasionally, the world produces one of those rare thinkers that alter the course of history. Disney reinvented entertainment, Einstein revolutionized science, Edison lit up our lives with the light bulb, Bell got the world talking with the telephone ... and Fender revolutionized music. If you think about it, Leo Fender has influenced every person on earth today - at least everyone who has ever heard a song. Guitar Player Magazine declared that Clarence Leo Fender is the father of the solid body guitar. Not only did he invent it, but Leo's guitars were used by everyone from Elvis Presley, to Eric Clapton and from Jimmy Page to Jimmy Hendrix. Indeed, Rolling Stone Magazine published a list of the world's top 100 guitarists, and 90 of them used one of Leo's guitars on stage, and the others used guitars that copied Leo's inventions and concepts. Leo Fender was shy, had one glass eye, and was nearly deaf. Yet, from the small town of Fullerton, California, he built an iconic worldwide empire that is worshiped by the rock stars themselves. The highest price ever spent for music memorabilia was not for Michael Jackson's glove, original Beatles' handwritten lyrics or even Elvis' killer pantsuit. It was for a Fender Stratocaster, which sold for a staggering $2.7 million. Written by the wife of the late Leo Fender, for the very first time, this book provides a rare look into the wonderful mind and world of this quiet genius.

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When other companies made electric guitars, that is all they did. Leo had the whole concept in mind. He made an amplifier to match. It is, after all electric. This left the other guys with half an egg. So simple, so complete whether you prefer a Stratocaster or a Telecaster. If you used a Fender amp, you had the whole deal. Sturdy, reliable and beautifully made, they remain the standard that others strived to reach, let alone the BASS!! Keith Richards The Rolling Stones Leo Fender The Quiet Giant Heard Around the World Few names in the world of guitars are more recognized than Fender. If Leo had stopped after creating the Telecaster he would still hold a secure place in guitar history. Not only is he in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but Fender also received a Grammy Award, Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award and an ACM award. The recently released book Leo Fender - The Quiet Giant Heard Around the World provides a different perspective on the music icon as written by his wife Phyllis Fender and Randall Bell (son of longtime Fender employee - Pete Bell). In the opening pages, Phyllis explains that most of the book was conceived and written in Polly's Pies in Fullerton, California not far from the G&L instruments factory, Leo's last instrument company. Mrs. Fender and Leo were opposites as he was shy and reserved and she was outgoing and constantly talking, but that worked for them. She isn't afraid to share deep dark secrets that the public never knew about Leo like that fact that as a child he fell off a truck onto a picket fence, lost his right eye and had a glass eye for the rest of his life. An Uncle that was also mechanically inclined and had a shop was the first person to feed Fender's passion for taking apart things and putting them back together. Most books state that he was not a musician but Phyllis informs us that as a youth he played piano, sax, and trumpet. Leo's first music equipment venture had nothing to do with guitars at all but a local band had asked him to build them a PA system, which led to creating five more. Considering how highly Fender's instruments are thought of now, especially the vintage and pre-CBS models, it is interesting to know that when he first released them people laughed and scoffed at his guitars and called them boat paddles! The chapter on Phyllis and Leo's courtship is very touching and provides us a glimpse of a lonely and shy inventor that was need of companionship. It is also amazing that they got married on the actual Love Boat from the TV show and that Freddie and Tamar Travers played at the wedding! Similar to geniuses like Steve Jobs of Apple, Leo had a regular daily routine and didn't care for clothing choices so he limited them to primarily black pants, belt, socks and white or blue shirts. It seems that later in life with his marriage to Phyllis that his stepchildren and grandchildren bettered his life so it didn't all revolve around his work. Leo was apparently very patriotic and was proud of the Made in America on the headstocks of his guitars. No guitars were brought home or kept at the Fender household because Leo wanted them in the hands of musicians and he knew his next one would be even better. Phyllis and Randall are both obviously proud of the legacy that Leo left behind. This book reads more like a personal journal with family photos interspersed between touching moments. Leo Fender - The Quiet Giant Heard Around the World, isn't a guitar book but if you're a fan of the man that invented them it is a must read! Eric Dahl Maverick Magazine I used to live in Southern California, so I thoroughly enjoyed the photos and hearing about the Fullerton area. It was a delightful read and I thought it was a lovely tribute to her husband. I will be So Cal sometime in the early part of December and then again for the NAMM show in January, so maybe I can make time to stop by the Fullerton Library and meet Mrs. Fender. Leo Fender: The Quiet Giant Heard Around the World is a lovely tribute from Phyllis Fender to the simple, yet complex man that impacted the world of music. The reasoning behind the book? In the introduction, Mrs. Fender explains that there's a plethora of books on the market today behind the iconic Fender guitar, but she wanted the world to learn more about the man that behind the guitar. This is her tribute to the man that amplified a solid body guitar, impacted the sound of music, and became a household name and iconic figure in the music industry. Co-written with Randall Bell, Ph.D., he and Mrs. Fender spent hours at Polly's Pies in Fullerton, California sifting through documents and research and photos; and made notes of the memories they both shared from their time spent with Leo Fender. Dr. Bell grew up in the same neighborhood as the Fenders and his father was the head of the Research and Development Department, so he was very familiar with the life and times of Leo Fender. This treasure of work walks us through Leo Fender's life from his birth to his ultimate demise in 1991 recounting the memories he shared with her on his upbringing on a farm; his perseverance through physical disabilities; his education and relentless pursuit of gaining knowledge about anything mechanical; to taking a chance at opening his own radio repair shop after being laid off from several accounting jobs; becoming the inventor of amps and electric guitars that would dominate the music industry for years and still does; to his final days up to his death. His meager beginnings were on a farm in Fullerton, California where he was born in 1909 to Clarence Monte Fender and Harriet Elvira Wood. From early on, his chores on the farm taught him the value of hard work. At the age of eight, he had an accident where he lost an eye resulting in a glass eye. He was always tinkering with motors, clocks, old radio parts and batteries- and anything where a screwdriver was needed to open to peer inside. He attended public schools in Fullerton and pursued an accounting degree which would ultimately provide him with the financial knowledge needed to run an entire business. After college, Leo worked for several companies in the accounting department, but was laid off from both because of the depression. That setback didn't upset Leo as he wasn't happy doing that type of work. He loved tinkering with and designing electronics. He married his first wife, Esther, in 1934, and in 1938 he borrowed $600 to start his own radio repair business in Fullerton. And, so it began. With his burning desire for electronics and his love of acoustics and music, he began to design PA systems for local churches and musicians. Although he didn't play guitar, he loved the way it sounded, but felt they needed to be heard more in a hall setting as the sound of the acoustic guitars were drowned out by the horn and brass instruments of the big bands popular at the time. He partnered with Doc Kauffman, an inventor, lap steel player, and employee of Rickenbacker to develop his first solid-body electric guitar. They began their company K & F Manufacturing Corporation. And as they say, the rest is history. She goes on to tell the stories of the trials and errors of designing, patenting, and selling his guitars. Being a perfectionist, his guitars were made of high-quality materials with exceptional electronics and garnered the attention of musicians around the world. The Telecaster was his first successful guitar and a few of the famous musicians that play his guitar are Buck Owens, Keith Richards, and Jimmy Page. He followed up with the Stratocaster which was played by Jimi Hendrix (Mrs. Fender acknowledged that Leo was not pleased with Jimi's destruction of his beloved instruments), Elvis Presley (Leo wasn't particularly fond of his provocative dance style), Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Eric Clapton just to name a few. Basses and amps were also designed and perfected. The Fender Musical Instrument Corporation was formed in 1946, and Leo ultimately sold the company in 1965 to CBS due to his health. His wife Esther died of lung cancer in 1979. After his regained his health, he went on to create the G&L Musical Products in 1979 with George Fullerton. The company remains in business today carrying on Leo Fender's mission. Phyllis was introduced to Leo by mutual friends. Two completely opposite personalities collided creating a new family. Phyllis describes herself as outgoing, religious, talkative, and loves to hug. Leo was none of those, but she said he learned to love and expect those hugs. Never having children with Esther, Phyllis came with a family of three children and grandchildren, so it was an instant big family for Leo. For as quiet and reserved as he was on the outside, he loved that family and would even cry when the grandchildren would have to leave. A very quiet man in the public eye, he rarely granted interviews nor gave or asked for autographs. It was apparent he was not in this for the money. A successful CEO of a major corporation would normally live lavishly in a mansion behind gated walls, spend thousands of dollars on a suit, drive expensive cars (if not being chauffeured around), and dine at the finest restaurants. But not Leo Fender. A night out at a restaurant was the Sizzler! He lived in a mobile home. He wore black pants, black shoes and socks, and either a white or blue shirt- complete with pocket protector and accessories. Phyllis says this is because he didn't want to take the time to decide what to wear each day. He had work to do. His mind was constantly working- dreaming up his next design or how he could improve on current ones. So much so that at times it would be at the expense of vacations and family time. But Phyllis understood this man. And, so did those closest to him. He was known to never raise his voice nor did he ever complain about his physical disabilities- besides having one glass eye, he was almost deaf due to an accident at the plant and had to wear hearing aids. Toward the end of his life, he had Parkinson's and was unable to swallow on his own, had to be fed through a tube, and used a wheelchair. Phyllis was always by his side to take care of him. Retirement was not in his vocabulary as he worked until the day before he died at the age of 81 on March 21, 1991. It was in the last years of his life that Leo reconciled his faith in the church and even shared a special dream he had early on in his life that would lead him to create his beautiful guitars. This pleased Phyllis as she was a devout Baptist and actively involved in the church. He was a smart business man, entrepreneur, inventor, workaholic, humble, simple, unassuming, world-renowned individual, husband and father, and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Recipient, but it was his relentless pursuit of perfection and his deep love for music (and the angels that brought us that music) and his guitars that catapulted Fender to its iconic status that lives on today. Phyllis Fender lovingly refers to Leo Fender throughout the book as my Leo. The book is not all about the guitars. It's about Leo Fender the man. It's easy to read, full of history, and features black and white photos throughout depicting the Fender Radio Repair shop in Fullerton, symbols of the Fender name throughout Fullerton, photos of the Fender plant, of his family and vacations, his office at the G&L plant which is exactly as he left it, and rock stars with Fender guitars. It ends with what they refer to as a driving tour of Fender's life showing the schools he attended, the homes he lived in, and even his favorite Sizzler restaurant. Reading this book, being involved in the music industry, and having lived in Southern California, I thoroughly enjoyed the photos and history of Fullerton. I recommend the book for anyone wanting to learn more about the man behind this iconic brand. Tara Low Guitar Girl Magazine

Author Information

Phyllis Fender is the wife of the late Leo Fender. Born in East Los Angeles in 1934, Phyllis attended Compton Jr. College where she belonged to Delta Kappa Phi and graduated with a Business Degree. She has three children from her first marriage. Phyllis worked for 22 years as the Executive Vice-President and Secretary of a family business, Dalton Enterprises, which owned two restaurants and manufactured and distributed restaurant baking equipment. Phyllis was ultimately fired by her mother, who after six years of being married to Leo; felt that Leo needed a full-time wife. Today, Phyllis often volunteers at the Fullerton Museum where she shares stories about life with Leo. She also has held numerous positions at her church and serves as the Honorary Chairman of G&L Guitars, based in Fullerton, California. Randall Bell, PhD is a socio-economist and author from Laguna Beach, California.

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