The death of guitar legend, Les Paul
World renowned guitarist and the maker of The Gibson Les Paul, Les Paul died today, August the 13th. He was 94.
In the 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 with his own Les Paul Trio. In the early 1950s, he had a handful of huge hits with his then-wife, Mary Ford, such as “How High the Moon” and “Vaya Con Dios.
Ted McCarty and Les developed and designed The Gibson Les Paul in the early 1950s as Gibson has enlisted Les enlisted to endorse the new model.
He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which “made the sound of rock and roll possible.”
He was responsible for many recording innovations include overdubbing, delay effects such as “sound on sound” and tape delay, phasing effects, and multitrack recording.
“Les Paul set a standard for musicianship and innovation that remains unsurpassed. He was the original guitar hero, and the kindest of souls,” said Joe Satriani in a statement. “Last October I joined him onstage at the Iridium club in [New York], and he was still shredding. He was and still is an inspiration to us all.
Paul is enshrined 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 will be missed by guitarists the world over.
He is the Henry Ford of the electric guitar – long live his legacy.