Pee Wee Crayton’s 1954 recording ‘Do Unto Others’ is presented as the first rock ’n’ roll song to feature a Fender Stratocaster. The article argues that its opening two-note slide helped establish the guitar’s distinctive sound in the emerging genre, although the track itself received little attention at the time.

Fender introduced the Stratocaster in spring 1954, but it initially struggled to make an impact. Crayton reportedly received one of the earliest instruments from Leo Fender and recorded ‘Do Unto Others’ in New Orleans on 29 April; later exposure for the Strat came through Buddy Holly and the Crickets, while the song’s riff is noted as strikingly similar to the introduction of the Beatles’ 1968 track ‘Revolution’.