Revered guitar player-inventor Les Paul dead at 94
AP, Aug 14, 2009 1:59 am PDT
Musicians worldwide are paying tribute to
Les Paul, the music icon whose solid-body
electric guitar paved the way for rock 'n' roll, who died this week at age 94.
Paul, a guitar virtuoso, performed with some of early pop's biggest
names and produced a slew of hits, many with wife Mary Ford. But it was
his inventive streak that made him universally revered by guitar gods
as their original ancestor and earned his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the most important forces in popular music.
"He actually taught himself to play guitar in order to demonstrate his electronic theories," said Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. "All of us owe an unimaginable debt to his work and his talent."
Paul, who died Thursday in White Plains, N.Y., of complications from
pneumonia, was a tireless tinkerer, whose quest for a particular sound
led him to create the first solid-body electric guitar. His invention
became the standard instrument for legends like Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page.
"The name Les Paul is iconic and is known by aspiring and virtuoso guitar players worldwide," said Kiss front man Paul Stanley. "That guitar is the cornerstone of a lot of great music that has been made in the last 50 years."
Paul also developed technology that would become hallmarks of rock and
pop recordings, from multitrack recording that allowed for multiple
layers of "overdubs" to guitar reverb and other sound effects.
"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.