Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, and his techniques served as inspiration for the Gibson Les Paul.
Born Lester William Polfuss in 1915 in Waukesha,
Wisconsin, Paul built his first crystal radio at age 9—which was about the time
he first picked up a guitar. By age 13 he was performing semi-professionally as
a country-music guitarist and working diligently on sound-related inventions.
In 1941 Paul built his first solid-body electric guitar, and he continued to
make refinements to his prototype throughout the decade. It’s safe to say that
rock and roll as we know it would not exist without his invention.
But Les Paul didn’t stop there. He also refined the
technology of sound recording, developing revolutionary engineering techniques.
He also busied himself as a versatile bandleader and performer who could play
jazz, country and pop.
The guitar that bears his name—the Gibson Les Paul—is his
crowning achievement. It grew out of his desire, as a musician and inventor, to
create a stringed instrument that could make electronic sound without
distorting. What he came up with, after almost a decade of work, was a
solid-bodied instrument—that is, one that didn’t have the deep, resonant
chamber of an acoustic guitar. Paul was beaten to the marketplace by Leo
Fender, whose Fender Broadcaster—the first mass-produced solid-body electric
guitar—was introduced in 1948. That same year, however, Paul
unveiled overdubbing, a breakthrough recording technique that would forever change music. Capitol Records released the Paul’s experimental eight-track recordings of “Lover (When You’re Near Me)” and “Brazil,” which he made in his garage workshop.
unveiled overdubbing, a breakthrough recording technique that would forever change music. Capitol Records released the Paul’s experimental eight-track recordings of “Lover (When You’re Near Me)” and “Brazil,” which he made in his garage workshop.
Paul’s career as a musician nearly came to an end in
1948, when he suffered near-fatal car accident in Oklahoma, skidding off a
bridge into a river during a snowstorm. The guitarist shattered his right arm
and elbow, and he also broke his back, ribs, nose and collarbone. He managed to
salvage his career as a musician by instructing surgeons to set his arm at an
angle that would allow him to cradle and pick the guitar. It took him a year
and a half to recover.
Paul subsequently made his mark as a jazz-pop musician
extraordinaire, recording as a duo with his wife, singer Mary Ford (who was
born Colleen Summers). Their biggest hits included “How High the Moon” (1951)
and “Vaya Con Dios” (1953), both reaching Number One.
The recordings of Les Paul and Mary Ford are noteworthy for Paul’s pioneering use of overdubbing. He also speeded up the sound of his guitar. The results were bright, bubbly and a little otherworldly—just the sort of music you might expect from an inventor with an ear for the future.
The recordings of Les Paul and Mary Ford are noteworthy for Paul’s pioneering use of overdubbing. He also speeded up the sound of his guitar. The results were bright, bubbly and a little otherworldly—just the sort of music you might expect from an inventor with an ear for the future.
In 1952 Les Paul introduced the first eight-track tape
recorder (designed by Paul and marketed by Ampex) and, more significantly for
the future of rock and roll, finally saw the release of the gold-top solid-body
electric guitar that bears his name. Gibson’s Les Paul Standard went on to
become one of the most popular of all models of electric guitar and is a staple
instrument among many of rock’s greatest guitarists. He introduced the latest
model in 2008. According to Gibson U.S.A., its design amendments include “a new
asymmetrical neck profile that makes it one of the most comfortable and
playable necks ever offered on any guitar.”
Over the ensuing decades Les Paul has remained active on
all fronts. He recorded a Grammy-winning album of instrumental duets with Chet
Atkins, Chester and Lester, in 1976. From the mid-Eighties through the
mid-Nineties, he performed weekly at Fat Tuesday’s, a New York City jazz club.
In 2005, at the age of 90, he released American Made/World Played, which
featured guest spots from several of his most illustrious rock and roll
disciples and won him a pair of Grammys.
Paul performed weekly at New York’s Iridium Jazz Club and
indulged his inventor’s curiosity in a basement workshop at home in Mahwah, New
Jersey up until his death on August 13, 2009. He died of complications from
pneumonia at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York. After hearing
about his death, many musicians commented on his importance. Slash called him
"vibrant and full of positive energy", while Richie Sambora called
him a "revolutionary in the music business".
The Edge said, "His legacy as a musician and inventor will live on and his influence on rock and roll will never be forgotten." On August 21, 2009, he was buried in Prairie Home Cemetery, Waukesha, Wisconsin.
The Edge said, "His legacy as a musician and inventor will live on and his influence on rock and roll will never be forgotten." On August 21, 2009, he was buried in Prairie Home Cemetery, Waukesha, Wisconsin.
(Edited from Wikipedia mainly rockhall.com)
3 comments:
For “Les Paul & Mary Ford – The Ep Collection....Plus” (2001) go here:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/w61hd2un272lz1o/LP%26MF-EP.rar/file
1 Nola 2:35
2 I'm Sitting On Top Of The World 2:14
3 My Baby's Comin' Home 2:24
4 Tiger Rag 2:05
5 Vaya con Dios (May God Be with You) 2:49
6 Johnny Is The Boy For Me 2:00
7 I'm A Fool To Care 2:53
8 Mandolino 2:22
9 Mr. Sandman 2:10
10 Wither Thou Goest 2:03
11 Jingle Bells 1:35
12 Santa Claus Is Back In Town 2:11
13 Amukiriki (The Lord Willing) 2:51
14 Meet Mr. Callaghan 1:49
15 Song In Blue 2:15
16 Take Me In Your Arms And Hold Me 2:11
17 Lady Of Spain 1:50
18 Auctioneer 2:19
19 Little Rock Getaway 2:25
20 In The Good Ol' Summertime 2:08
21 Hummingbird 2:37
22 Magic Melody 2:10
23 I Really Don't Want To Know 2:50
24 South 1:59
25 Sleep 2:00
26 How High The Moon 2:05
27 Say The Words I Love To Hear 1:48
28 Send Me Some Money 2:05
29 Cimarron 2:39
30 San Antonio Rose 2:05
Please note FLAC audio format.
A big thank you to Mijas @ ACM2 blog for original post.
I can listen to this man and his wife forever. They have given me many, many hours of entertainment over the years. Thanks so much Bob.
Thanks a lot for sharing this amazing album and congratulations for your mention about "Mijas @ ACM2" blog, that shows you as a correct gentleman.
Greetings from Quito - Ecuador, SouthAmerica.
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