Ernie Ball

Roland Sherwood Ball was born in 1930 in Santa Monica, California. From 9 years old Ernie learned to play the Hawaiian steel guitar, in his early teens played in pubs in Los Angeles, and 19 years old joined the Tommy Duncan Band. During the Korean War, Ball played guitar and bass drum in the the US Air Force Band. In the 50s he got a job in the "Western Varieties" TV show on KTLA channel, gained him wider recognition in the Los Angeles music scene and led to studio work and teaching jobs.
In the 60s, on the wave of the popularity of guitar rock, Ernie (the owner of a successful selling guitars business) noticed that novice guitarists have difficulty playing the most popular set of that time - Fender # 100 Medium, particularly in holding down or bending the stiff 29-gauge third ("G") string. Ball addressed to the Fender company proposal to replace the string lighter gauge, but was refused. Then Ernie arranged with one of the producers of strings, and stores began selling its own set of strings with the third string gauge of .024. It was the beginning of a brand Ernie Ball.
Ball knew about the attempts of "slack stringing" among players who discarded the bottom sixth string and added a banjo first string on top. Again, Ernie turned to Fender's with the proposal to create a lighter set, and again was turned down. Gibson also were not interested in innovations. So, once again he ordered from the manufacturer naming the product the Ernie Ball Slinky. Ernie immediately began to receive orders from guitarists and shops.
Today, Ernie Ball strings are popular among guitarists of all styles. A very small sampling of these guitarists includes: Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Angus Young, Dave Murray, Paul Gilbert, Slash, Buckethead, Billie Joe Armstrong, Adam Levine, Juan Alderete, DJ Ashba, Jeff Beck, The Edge, John Fogerty, Synyster Gates, Janick Gers, Steve Vai, Tommy Kessler, Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Albert Lee, John Mayer, Dave Navarro, Scott George Huckabay, Brad Paisley, John Petrucci, Omar Rodríguez-López, Mick Thomson, Chris Broderick, Daron Malakian, Curt Kirkwood, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Tom DeLonge.