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I'm in almost exactly the same position you are (early 40's, started on acoustic, etc.). I got a Tele because it is the simplest electric guitar, and it's flexible enough to fit pretty much any musical style I care to try.
My advice is this: start slowly. When I was a kid I too wanted to go right out of the gate playing SRV licks, and it burned me out. You have to walk before you run. That means learning all your major, minor, and seventh chords. It also means learning to play rhythm. If you can't play rhythm, you can't play, period. Without rhythm, there is no song! Even if you're a bad singer (as I am), you need to sing along with the rhythm -- I've found that if you can't hum or sing a tune, you can't play it on the guitar. Rhythm is everything.
I'm trying to mix in the A Major and A Minor pentatonic scales in my practice sessions as well. For one thing, it's good finger-strengthening exercise. For another, it helps to explain how barre chords work. And lastly, it paves the way for good soloing down the road: rather than just copying "licks", you're learning how the fretboard works. I want to sound like myself, not just another SRV clone.
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