August 20, 2009

On Thursday, August 13, 2009, Les Paul died from complications of pneumonia at a hospital in White Plains, NY.  He was 94 and had lived an extraordinary life.

Paul had been an important figure in the music business since World War Two.  He and his wife Mary Ford produced several hits in the 1940s and 1950s that included “Mockin’ Bird Hill” and “How High the Moon.”  He earned 36 gold records and 11 No. 1 pop hits.  He also played guitar with leading early jazz and pop musicians from Louis Armstrong to the Andrews Sisters to Bing Crosby. He played for Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the White House. Among his many awards, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

Had those songs along with his reputation as a guitarist been his legacy, it would have been sufficiently impressive.  However, his contributions to the music and recording industries did not end there.

As he began performing in the 1920s, electronics were primitive and amplification was virtually non-existent. Unhappy with the limitations, Paul began experimenting with guitar amplification. By the early 1940s, he had built what may have been the first solid-body electric guitar.  Eventually, these experiments played a key role in the birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll when he teamed up with Gibson Guitar Corp. to help design a model that bears his name.  An immediate success in the 1950s, the guitar’s basic structure has changed very little over the decades. The “Les Paul” continues to enjoy one of the best reputations of any electric guitar on the market.  In fact, many would agree that the Gibson Les Paul is to the American musical landscape what the Louisville Slugger is to American sports.

“He was a futurist, and unlike some futurists who write about it and predict things, he was a guy who actually did things,” said Henry Juskiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar, which mass produced Paul’s original invention.

Had his innovative efforts with the solid-body electric guitar along with his artistic achievements been his legacy, that would have been doubly impressive!  However, he was not done contributing toward monumental changes in the recording industry that we often take for granted today.

In the late 1950s, Paul built the first eight-track multi-track recorder.  Each track could be recorded and altered separately, without affecting the others.  His efforts ushered in the modern recording era.  As a result, artists could record different instruments at different times, sing harmony with themselves, and then carefully balance the tracks in the finished recording.  Now,  artists could “overdub” their voices or instruments many times without losing sound quality while adding richness in sound.  Consider the effect and importance of these recording techniques when listening to a song like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

His efforts with eight-track recording paved the way for producers like George Martin, who is responsible for most of the Beatles work in the 1960s using Paul’s multi-track technology.

For his achievements as a technician, Les Paul was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005, joining Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.

“Honestly, I never strove to be an Edison,” he said in a 1991 New York Times interview.  “The only reason I invented these things was because I didn’t have them and neither did anyone else.  I had no choice, really.”

He recorded a final album, “American Made, World Played” to celebrate his 90th birthday in 2005.  It featured guest appearances by Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, Sting and others.  The album won him two Grammy Awards.  He was already recognized from the Grammys for technical achievements and won another performance Grammy in 1976 for the album “Chester and Lester,” made with Chet Atkins, another guitar legend.

Until recently, Paul performed weekly at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York.  When asked if Paul thought he’d still be playing at 100, he said, “As long as the people put up with me, and I’m having fun doing it, why not?”

A hero to many current professional guitarists, here are a few testimonials honoring the contributions of Les Paul:

“The man who started everything. He’s just a genius.” – Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin

“Without the things you have done, I wouldn’t be able to do half the things I do.” – Eddie Van Halen/Van Halen

“All of us owe an unimaginable debt to his work and his talent.” – Keith Richards/Rolling Stones

As a guitarist myself for many years,  I first heard of Les Paul’s name because of the Gibson guitar model.  Later I would read about him as being a major influence for several players who had an impact on my playing.  What’s impressive to me is that Les Paul pre-dates Rock ‘N’ Roll, but had the energy that embodies the genre.  He was adept at Jazz, Blues, Country, Rock and other forms of American popular music. I believe that there is a lot to be learned from our musical past, and his playing is a reminder. While his playing served as a stylistic history lesson, he was very progressive in both his musical and technical endeavors and I’m thankful for his innovations relating to the electric guitar and studio recording technologies.  In both areas, Les Paul ushered in a modernized shift that remains a standard today.  Finally, I was very fortunate to catch him live at the Iridium in New York a few years ago. Prior to going, I was excited to see him even though I figured he’d be a bit tired since he was in his 90’s. I was mistaken. He played with energy, variety, skill and a great sense of humor for almost two hours to a deservedly warm audience. In addition to paying my respects, I saw an incredible live music show.  So, Les Paul also taught me how I want to live as I grow older!  

Tim Kelley