Here's to Les Paul

Les Paul died at the age of 94. (Photo credit: PBS)

MUSIC PIONEER LES PAUL, famous for inventing the multi-track recording and innovator of the electric guitar, died Aug. 12. He was 94.

Paul died from complications of pneumonia .

Born Lester William Polsfuss on June 9, 1915, the man was a music prodigy. By the age of 13, he was playing public gigs. Four years later, he was playing professionally in a band called Rube Tronson’s Texas Cowboys. He then joined Sunny Joe Wolverton’s Radio Band in St. Louis, Mo. He later played with Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians and eventually formed the Les Paul Trio.

Paul played sessions with the Andrews Sisters, Dick Hayes, Bing Crosby and the Delta Rhythm Boys.

I can’t imagine Rock ‘n’ Roll without Paul’s influence.

He designed and built one of the first solid-body electric guitars. Paul, along with Leo Fender and Adolph Rickenbacher, all designed their individual solid-body electric guitars about the same time.

Gibson Guitars tapped Ted McCarty to incorporate Paul’s designs in the 1950s and that model became the Gibson Les Paul. It’s still used today by an array of musicians, including Jeff Beck, Slash, Steve Miller, Peter Frampton, Foreigner’s Mick Jones, Journey’s Neal Schon, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, the Eagles’ Joe Walsh and Black Label Society’s Zakk Wylde, to name a few.

Multiple-Grammy Award-winner Paul, known for mentoring a pre-teen Steve Miller, also ushered in the multi-track recording system that helped musicians overdub multiple instrumental and vocals tracks. He also helped develop the echo-delay.

In 1998, Paul was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And in 2008, he was honored as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 2008 American Music Master.

Paul is survived by his three sons, one daughter and her husband, five grand children and five great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his ex-wife and music partner Mary Ford, born Iris Colleen Hatfield, who died in 1977.

Thanks, Les, for everything.