Les Paul: 1915-2009
The legendary Les Paul, who invented the solid body electric guitar back in 1941, has died at the age of 94.
In addition to making guitars, he also pioneered a style of playing unique to the electric guitar. He also pioneered the concept of multi-track recording.
He was honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with its American Music Master award in 2008, at which time he was still performing regularly at New York City's Iridium Jazz Club.
In 2005 he released an album (Les Paul & Friends) on which he collaborated with a host of artists who have been influenced by him. His fascinating life story, in his own words, is documented in the 2007 film, Chasing Sound.
Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, summarized Paul's influence this way: "[W]ithout Les Paul, generations of flash little punks like us would be in jail or cleaning toilets. This man, by his genius, made the road that we still travel today."Paul died of complications from pneumonia on August 13 in White Plains, New York.
Photo by Scott Wintrow / Getty Images
Comments
Thanks for paying tribute, Dave. I don’t think it’s possible to overstate the debt that music owes to Les Paul. Over the years (and as a non-picker, myself) I’ve learned to distinguish the sweet tone of any LP Gibson on first listen.
So many of my guitar heroes play(ed) them: Clapton, Page, Duane Allman, Jeff Beck, B.B. King, Keith Richards, Dickey Betts, John Fogerty … man, it’s a long list. Even my top god, Jimi (known for his Strats), occasionally played a Special and a Custom. We are going to see a lot of big names in music offering heartfelt homage to Mr. Paul in the next few days. And that’s as it should be.
R.I.P., Les. Well done, sir.
Couldn’t have said it better, Shelley.
I don’t play music (I can’t even read it, actually); but I enjoy listening to all kinds of music. I know I’ve heard thousands of people play the guitars he invented. rest in peace, Les Paul! and he lived to be 94! that’s pretty cool, too!
In addition to shaping the sound of the electric guitar, Les was instrumental in pioneering recording techniques that we take for granted today. The fact that he has a wing in the smithsonian institute named for him speaks volumes of his contributions.
In the ’50s and early ’60s you never heard Less Paul without Mary Ford! What happened to her?
Mary died in 1977 (age 53) of complications from diabetes.
Les Paul was an all time great guitarist
The world has lost a musician,inventor and innovator the likes of whom we’ll never see again.His contribution to recording and guitar are immeasurable,his melodic riffs have been copied by just about every guitarist alive today.His death has left a void in many hearts.There will be much sweeter music in heaven now that he’s there.
God has a new First Chair Guitarist. Thank you Les Paul
My mom was an avid Les Paul fan, so this is the music I heard from the start of my life — and I am very grateful for that. This is the music that taught me how to listen with something more than just my ears.