SkullandChains Report This Comment Date: August 15, 2009 03:14AM
Les Paul dies at 94; guitarist whose innovations paved the way for rock 'n'
roll.
The virtuoso picker influenced a generation of guitarists and had a series of
hits in the '50s with wife Mary Ford. He invented an early solid-body electric
guitar and pioneered new recording methods
Les Paul was often called rock royalty, but for the people who knew the man
before his death Thursday at age 94, that term often inspired a gentle
chuckle.
Born in Wisconsin in 1915, Paul was a Midwestern jazz man who went on to make
high-polish 1950s pop recordings, a style of music that was snuffed out by the
reckless energy of rock 'n' roll. Still, the rock demi-gods of the 1960s and
'70s adored Paul for what he handed them, the Gibson Les Paul electric guitar, a
beast of an instrument that has endured through the years whether the band on
stage was Led Zeppelin, the Sex Pistols or Green Day. The six-string became such
an American institution that, like Levi Strauss, Jack Daniel's and John Deere,
it became more a symbol than a mere brand name.
PW Report This Comment Date: August 15, 2009 03:41AM
He changed the wold of recording forever as well. Truly an extraordinary man. A
HUGE loss to the world.
SkullandChains Report This Comment Date: August 15, 2009 01:08PM
I agree PW. We (in my yahoo group) were having a small discussion yesterday
on how it's such a shame that michael jackson's death got so much more coverage
in the media, when we hardly heard a thing about Les Paul's death.
BlahX3 Report This Comment Date: August 16, 2009 03:34PM
Les Paul did not invent the Gibson Les Paul guitar, it was designed by Ted
McCarty with collaborative input from Les. It was named after Les as a marketing
endorsement move by Gibson. Ted wasn't a guitarist, so he sought input from
guitarists when designing instruments. He died in 2001 at 91. Of course he
wasn't a big show-biz name so not much public recognition.
rogerramjet_2003 Report This Comment Date: March 15, 2012 09:58AM
R.I.P. Les Paul
Background information
Birth name Lester William Polsfuss[1]
Born June 9, 1915
Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States
Died August 13, 2009 (aged 94)
White Plains, New York, United States[2]
Genres Jazz, country, blues, rock and
roll
Occupations Innovator, Inventor, Musician,
Songwriter
Instruments Guitar, Banjo, Harmonica
Years active 1928–2009
Website http://lespaulfoundation.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Paul