If I were you I'd ask to pick up and play a few diffrent guitars to see what you like "feel" wise. I thinks Strats may have a versitility edge on the Tele. Both are popular with blues and country players.
As for which wood, you will need to play the guitars unplugged and listen to it, the wood will have a subtle effect on the sound. If it sounds good unplugged it will sound better amplified. I think there may be a weight diffrence too. So strap it on.
For me it's embarassing to do this in a store but I do it anyway. It's your money and you should make sure your happy with what you get. Set a budget before you go to the store and try out diffrent guitars in your price range, it may be that what suits you best insn't a Fender at all. I'm not against Fender or anything, but just think it's good to go in with an open mind and find whats just right for you. Artists get their guitars for free so they are not a good benchmark as whats the best for any particular style of music.