Book Reviews
What We’re Reading NOW! By Tara Low
Leo Fender:
The Quiet Giant Heard Around The World By Phyllis Fender & Randall Bell
This is her tribute to the man that we all know as the genius that amplified a solid body guitar, impacted the sound of music, and became a household name and iconic figure in the music industry; but, to her, he was simply her husband, my “Leo.”
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 behind the guitar.
40 Guitar Girl Magazine
Co-written with Randall Bell, Ph.D., he and Mrs. Fender spent countless hours at Polly’s Pies in Fullerton, California sifting through documents and photos; researching and making 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 led the R&D department for Fender, 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
guitargirlmag.com
in 1991 as told by his second wife, Phyllis Fender, through the memories and stories Leo shared with her. From his meager beginnings and upbringing on a farm in Fullerton, California, to persevering through physical disabilities, and his relentless desire to pursue an education and to learn about anything mechanical. He took a chance at opening his own radio repair shop after being laid off from several accounting jobs; and through his hard work and determination, he ultimately became the inventor of some of the finest amps and electric guitars in the world- a company that would dominate the music industry for years. He was simple, humble, unassuming, a smart business man, entrepreneur, inventor, workaholic, world-renowned individual, award winner, husband and
