As Fender celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Stratocaster, a wide-ranging generation of modern players are putting its tonal versatility through its paces like never before. Regardless of who picks one up and what they do with it, the Strat continues to excel in every environment.
Super Bowl LVIII proved high-class entertainment on and off the pitch, and H.E.R’s classy halftime show solo was right at the heart of it. The first black female artist to be bestowed with a signature Stratocaster in 2020, her satin-smooth R&B playing has been turning heads for nearly a decade.
The Californian musician has cited watching Prince and Lenny Kravitz music videos growing up as life-affirming moments, and speaking to in 2020, she explained how her soloing style is as inspired by vocalists as much as blues greats. “I like to play my guitar like I’m singing, so I go for melodies that might feel a bit closer to what a singer would do, as opposed to a guitar player,” she said. “Sometimes, I like to
