Fender Celebrates The Telecaster By Turning Nashville Into ‘Tele Town’

BusinessHollywood & EntertainmentFender Celebrates The Telecaster By Turning Nashville Into ‘Tele Town’ByMatthew Leimkuehler,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Matthew Leimkuehler is a music journalist from Nashville, Tennessee.Follow AuthorMay 13, 2026, 08:00am EDTA Fender Telecaster. Fender/ContributedWhen someone steps on stage to play country music, the first notes often come from a Fender Telecaster.From tales of heartache told with a few twangy chords to dancehall tunes backed by a flat-pickin’ lick, chapters of country music history have been written by players gripping the fretboard of a Telecaster. The guitar can be heard on songs spanning decades of the genre, including the rowdy honky-tonk tunes that defined the so-called Bakersfield sound in the 1950s to the rebellious outlaw movement of the ‘70s and the torch-bearing troubadours of today. And this month, Fender kicked off a 75th anniversary celebration of the Telecaster in a town synonymous with country music — Nashville, Tennessee. Dubbed “Tele Town,” Fender hosted a one-night show where some of the most formidable players in country, rock, blues and beyond shared songs at the famed Ryman Auditorium. The event comes as the brand continues to stake its claim in Music City, where Fender’s operation includes a by-appointment showroom for artists and a research-and-development lab for creating one-of-a-kind guitars. “Without Nashville embracing this guitar back in the day — country players — and helping define it with Fender, I’m not sure the Telecaster would be where it is today,” Edward “Bud” Cole, CEO of Fender, told Forbes. “We owe a lot to Nashville for embracing it the way they did back in the day. They were the early adopters.” Fender’s Nashville Showroom In Nashville, Fender continues to grow the legacy of the Telecaster at its two-story showroom and guitar-making shop, where a seven-person team works with the creative community. Located in East Na...