instance_of blackie 
Clarence Leonidas " Leo " Fender ( ___MASK81___ 10 , 1909  March 21 , 1991 ) was an American inventor who founded Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company , or " Fender " for short . In January 1965 , he sold the company to CBS and later founded two other ___MASK9___ instrument companies , Music Man and G & L ___MASK9___ Instruments . An ___MASK15___ is a fretted string instrument that uses a pickup to convert the vibration of its strings  which are typically made of steel , and which occurs when a guitarist strums , plucks or fingerpicks the strings  into electrical signals . The vibrations of the strings are sensed by a pickup , of which the most common type is the magnetic pickup , which uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction . The signal generated by an ___MASK15___ is too weak to drive a loudspeaker , so it is plugged into a guitar amplifier before being sent to a loudspeaker , which makes a sound loud enough to hear . The output of an ___MASK15___ is an electric signal , and the signal can easily be altered by electronic circuits to add " color " to the sound or change the sound . Often the signal is modified using effects such as reverb and distortion and " overdrive ", with the latter being a key element of the sound of the ___MASK15___ as it is used in blues and rock music . Frederick Theodore ' Freddie ' Tavares ( born 18 ___MASK20___ 1913 , Maui , Hawaii died 1990 , California , United States ) was an American ___MASK52___ and inventor . Born in Hawaii , Tavares is perhaps best known for his role in designing the Fender Stratocaster and other Fender instruments and amplifiers ( including the classic Bassman amp ). He was also a virtuoso on the ___MASK47___ guitar , playing on many hundreds of recording sessions , radio broadcasts and movie soundtracks . The signature ___MASK47___ guitar swoop at the beginning of every Warner Bros . Looney Tunes theatrical short was played by Tavares . His other credits include work with Bing Crosby , Elvis Presley , Dean Martin , The Sons of the Pioneers , " Tennessee " Ernie Ford , Spike Jones and His City Slickers , Lawrence Welk , and Henry Mancini . Blues is a ___MASK58___ and ___MASK9___ form originated by African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the end of the 19th century . The ___MASK58___ developed from roots in African ___MASK9___ traditions , African - American work songs and European - American folk music . Blues incorporated spirituals , work songs , field hollers , shouts , chants , and rhymed simple narrative ballads . The blues form , ubiquitous in jazz , rhythm and blues and rock and roll , is characterized by the call - and - response pattern , the blues scale and specific chord progressions , of which the twelve - ___MASK6___ blues is the most common . Blue notes ( or " worried notes "), usually thirds or fifths flattened in pitch , are also an essential part of the sound . Blues shuffles or walking bass reinforce the trance - like rhythm and form a repetitive effect known as the groove . A ___MASK38___ , ___MASK63___ mark , or ___MASK63___ - mark is a recognizable ___MASK65___ , design , or expression which identifies products or services of a particular source from those of others , although trademarks used to identify services are usually called service marks . The ___MASK38___ owner can be an individual , business organization , or any legal entity . A ___MASK38___ may be located on a package , a label , a voucher , or on the product itself . For the sake of corporate identity , trademarks are often displayed on company buildings . Eric Patrick Clapton , ( born 1945 ), is an English ___MASK64___ and blues guitarist , singer , and songwriter . He is the only three - ___MASK79___ inductee to the Rock and Roll ___MASK54___ of Fame : once as a solo artist and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and Cream . Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all ___MASK79___ . Clapton ranked second in " Rolling Stone " magazine ' s list of the " 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time " and fourth in Gibson ' s " Top 50 Guitarists of All Time ". He was also named number five in " Time " magazine ' s list of " The 10 Best ___MASK15___ Players " in 2009 . The ___MASK64___ and Roll ___MASK54___ of Fame and Museum is a ___MASK54___ of fame and museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland , Ohio , United States . The ___MASK64___ and Roll ___MASK54___ of Fame Foundation was established on April 20 , 1983 , by Atlantic Records founder and chairman Ahmet Ertegun to recognize and archive the history of the best - known and most influential artists , producers , engineers , and other notable figures who have had some major influence on the development of rock and roll . In 1986 , Cleveland was chosen as the ___MASK54___ of fame ' s permanent home . Since opening in September 1995 , the " ___MASK64___ ___MASK54___ "  part of the city ' s redeveloped North Coast Harbor  has hosted more than 10 million visitors and had a cumulative economic impact estimated at more than $ 1 . 8 billion . Blackie is the nickname given by Eric Clapton to his favourite Fender Stratocaster . The Fender Stratocaster is a ___MASK8___ of ___MASK15___ designed in 1954 by Leo Fender , Bill Carson , George Fullerton , and Freddie Tavares . The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously manufactured the Stratocaster from 1954 to the present . It is a double - cutaway guitar , with an extended top " horn " shape for balance . Along with the Gibson Les Paul , it is one of the most often emulated ___MASK15___ shapes . " Stratocaster " and " Strat " are ___MASK38___ terms belonging to Fender . The Gibson Les Paul is a solid body ___MASK15___ that was first sold by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1952 . The Les Paul was designed by Gibson president Ted McCarty , factory manager John Huis and their team , along with guitarist / inventor Les Paul . Fender ___MASK9___ Instruments Corporation ( FMIC ), commonly referred to simply as Fender , is an American manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers . It is known for its solid - body electric guitars and bass guitars , such as the Stratocaster ( also known as the " Strat "), Telecaster ( also known as the " Tele "), Precision Bass ( also known as the " P - Bass "), and the Jazz Bass ( also known as the " J - Bass "). Its headquarters are in Scottsdale , Arizona . The company , previously named the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company , was founded in Fullerton , California , by Clarence Leonidas " Leo " Fender in 1946 .