Guitar legend Eric Clapton has teamed up with Fender Guitars to assist the Louisville, Kentucky affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Funds raised will go to breast cancer research. Eric was touched by an idea that was inspired by a dinner meeting with Karen Dickson, wife of his long-time guitar technician (Lee Dickson), and mutual friends of a breast cancer patient in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Fender Guitar Custom Shop provided Eric and Lee with a brand-new Eric Clapton "Blackie" Signature Stratocaster in a hard shell case. Eric Clapton then autographed the guitar on the scratch plate and dated it 2006. A letter of authenticity, from Lee Dickson is also included.
Lee Dickson has worked with Eric Clapton for more than 25 years and is solely responsible for maintaining all of the artist’s guitars. He works closely with Eric on tour and in the studio … basically anywhere and everywhere Eric needs his guitars! When Eric isn’t on the road, Lee keeps the guitars in tip-top condition and has them at the ready in case they are needed by Eric for a session or last-minute appearance. Lee was instrumental in working with Fender Guitars’ Custom Shop on Eric’s behalf in the late 1980s to help develop their exclusive line of Eric Clapton Signature Stratocasters. It is one of these guitars that is being auctioned off by the Louisville Affiliate.
The guitar being auctioned off on eBay by the Louisville Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation is a brand-new black Stratocaster of the Eric Clapton Blackie Signature Stratocaster model line by Fender Guitars’ Custom Shop. The model is named and designed after Eric’s most famous Stratocaster, Blackie. (The original Blackie was sold by Eric at auction in 2004 raising $959,500 for charity). One hundred percent of the proceeds raised in this exciting eBay Auction will go to the Komen Foundation, which funds much-needed research into the devastating disease. The eBay auction ends 24 October 2006 at 10:00 AM PDT.
Eric Clapton is currently performing in the United States as part of his 2006 / 2007 World Tour. He initially rose to prominence in the 1960s with the Yardbirds followed by stints in legendary bands John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith and Derek and the Dominos. He established himself as a solo artist ofworld-wide renown in the 1970s. With numerous albums to his credit, he is known for perrenial radio favorites like Layla, I Shot The Sheriff, Wonderful Tonight, Tears In Heaven, and Change The World amongst others. Eric has won 18 Grammy Awards and is the only triple inductee into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. A new cd entitled The Road To Escondido and recorded with J.J. Cale, will be released on 7 November.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month in America.
About the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Louisville KY Affiliate:
The Louisville Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is one of more than 100 Affiliates of the Komen Foundation sharing the mission of eradicating breast cancer as a life-threatening disease. The Louisville Affiliate was established in 1998 and is comprised of amazing volunteers that work tirelessly to spread the message of early detection to the community.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women ages 40-59. In 2004, over 8000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in Kentucky and Indiana combined. This translates into a loss of 620 Kentucky women, 890 Indiana women and 40,800 women across the nation each year. When caught in its earliest stages, five year survival rates are over 95%.
For more than 20 years, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has been a global leader in the fight against breast cancer through its support of innovative research and community-based outreach programs. Working through a network of U.S. and international Affiliates and events like the Komen Race for the Cure®, the Komen Foundation is fighting to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by funding research grants and supporting education, screening and treatment projects in communities around the world.
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was founded on a promise made between two sisters – Susan Goodman Komen and Nancy Goodman Brinker. Suzy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1978, a time when little was known about the disease and it was rarely discussed in public. Before she died at the age of 36, Suzy asked her sister to do everything possible to bring an end to breast cancer. Nancy kept her promise by establishing the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in 1982 in Suzy’s memory.
For more information on the Komen Foundation and breast cancer facts, visit www.komen.org