Legendary guitarist and inventor Les Paul has died. He was 94. Paul and his wife Mary Ford had a string of hits in the 40s and 50s, including Vayo Con Dios and How High The Moon, But more importantly to the music world, Les Paul was a born tinkerer. He was one of the great innovators
of sound amplification and recording studio technology. Besides his
contribution to the evolution of the electric guitar (he made one of
the earliest solid body electric guitars), his many inventions include
simultaneous playback and record heads on tape decks, overdubbing and
multi-track recording, and electronic reverberation.
Les Paul continued to perform until recently. I saw him play in 2004 at the Iridium nightclub in New York, where he had a regular gig. He performed with several other guitarists, including the legendary Bucky Pizzarelli. Paul released a well-received album in 2006 featuring many famous jazz and pop artists performing with Paul. Here's my review of that recording.
This guy had more of an impact on modern music than Michael Jackson, yet will be barely mentioned.
RIP, Les.
Posted by: Chris | August 13, 2009 at 05:28 PM