Guitar Whizz Les Paul Dies Aged 94

The guitar studio whizz Les Paul died today, August 13th, aged 94 from complications of severe pneumonia. His innovations with studio technology and the electric guitar helped produce modern pop music and have made him one of the most important figures in recorded music.

Les Paul is remembered in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Inventors Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is survived by three sons, a daughter, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Les Paul was a guitar and electronics mastermind whose creations helped to produce rock ‘n’ roll and modern pop. These innovations included

·         multitrack recording – now the industry standard

·         tape delay

·         the solid-body guitar that bears his name, the Gibson Les Paul – the rival to the Fender

A brief history:

June 9th 1915 Lester William Polfuss is born in Waukesha, Wisconsin. As a child he wanted to know how electric devices worked and used to often take them apart to find out what made them tick.

1930s and ’40s, he played with the bandleader Fred Waring and several big band singers, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and the Andrews Sisters, as well as his own Les Paul Trio.

Early 1940’s he built the “Gibson Les Paul” a variation on a solid body guitar; this was finally introduced as a rival to the “Fender” in 1952.

Early 1950s, he had a few huge hits, such as “How High the Moon” and “Vaya Con Dios”, with his wife, Mary Ford,

In 1948, he was involved in a severe car accident, and he asked the doctor to set his arm permanently in a guitar-playing position.

1990’s – 2000’s Les Paul continued to play his guitar in clubs into his 90’s, despite the fact that he suffered from arthritis. Until recently he had a standing gig at New York’s Iridium Jazz Club, where he would regularly play with a who’s who of famous musicians.