Everything can be traced back to . First, consider that he invented the solid-body electric guitar. The Gibson model that has carried his name since the 1950s is one of the most iconic instruments in rock and has been favoured by guitar greats including , , , , .
.. the list goes on.
A virtuoso player himself, Paul helped push the boundaries of the guitar with flash and finesse. In his hands it became a powerful new instrument, essentially taking it from a horse-drawn buggy to a sports car. On a much larger scale, the whole idea of an album in the modern sense, as a studio production rather than a captured live performance, begins with Les Paul.
He invented multi-track recording (along with effects units including reverb, echo and delay), the home studio and the very notion of the artist as a producer. It’s not a stretch to call Les Paul the Thomas Edison of rock. Or as put it: “Les was a total fuckin’ maverick.
” Paul was also a generous, personable guy who wore his legend lightly. Right up until his passing at the age of 94 in 2009 he was teaching seminars, gigging regularly, trading quips and licks with musician friends such as and , and working on new inventions in his workshop at home in New Jersey. I was fortunate enough to spend a few hours with him on two occasions, and found him to be, for all his accomplishments, remarkably modest.
That modesty probably had to do with his Midwestern upbringing. Born Lester Polsfuss on June 9, 1915 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, he st.