Les Paul
Back to the Biographies
Les Paul
(June 9, 1915 – August 13, 2009. Les, you will forever be missed.)
Les Paul with his Gibson namesake, the Les Paul guitar
Many people know Les Paul as a name on a guitar, but the man that invented the solid
body as we know it is an icon in and of himself. At 94 years old, Les Paul rocks harder,
is more of a legend, and has done more for American music than nearly anybody else,
alive or dead. He learned harmonica, guitar and banjo before his thirtenth birthday. He
played a variety of genres, including Country and Blues, both professionally and semi-pro,
but his first monumental contribution to the world of music as we know it was playfully
dubbed "the log". It wasn't much to look at; a four by four piece of fencepost with a
sawed in half guitar body plastered on either side. But it was the first generation solid
body guitar, and it's children would soon be used by musicians around the world. Initially,
the Gibson company rejected his model, but in the 1950's started branding the famous and
infamous, aptly named Gibson Les Paul solidbody, with the Les Pauls' endorsement. His never-
ending experimentation led him to be the first to utilize the now widely used "close-miking",
(singing/playing very close to the microphone), as well as the very first multi-track
recording in history (recording a sound and recording something else over the top). Much of
the Blues and Rock foundations, now standard, were laid by Paul. In the 1940's, he famously
paired up with his wife, Mary Ford, for a number of country style hits. In 1948, he suffered
a car accident which shattered his right arm, almost ending his playing career. He had it
reset at an angle so that he could still play his beloved guitars. In the 1950's, again, his
experimentation led him to create the first eight track tape recorder.
In 1964, Ford and Paul divorced, and in 1977, Ford died from complications of diabetes. In
the late 70's, Les Paul invented the "Les Paulverizer", which was intended to reverberate,
playback, and amplify sounds. He continued to record, entering semi-retirement in the 70's,
and recording a mix of Jazz, Country, and Blues styles.
The Iridium Club, New York, where Les Paul
played every Monday.
In 1988, Les Paul was inducted into
the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame. In 2005, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of
Fame, and in 2001, he won a Grammy for his technical achievements. President George W. Bush
awarded him the highly prestigious National Medal of Arts award. For many years Les Paul
played a gig every Monday in New York City, until several weeks before his death. He recently
released a hard rock album. Even after the titan's passing, Les Paul
is an American
institution and one of, if not the, greatest contributor to our music as we know it today.
He will be forever missed, but forever celebrated.
