Solid Body Electric Guitar Inventor, Les Paul, Dies At 94

Les Paul, the guitar virtuoso (in country & jazz), inventor of the solid body electric guitar, as well as being the inventor of multi-track recording, died yesterday at the age of 94. His career is multi-faceted with many highlights, but noteworthy is his recording career with his wife Mary Ford in the early 1950s. Mary Ford is known for her wonderful harmonies ala The Andrew Sisters. Some of their hits were “Mockingbird Hill,” “How High the Moon,” and “Vaya Con Dios”. I often hear Les Paul and Mary Ford on The Lounge Show *(KOOP 91.7, a community radio station, hosted by Jay Robillard), here in Austin.

The evolution of Les Paul`s inventions in multi-track recording technology gets a little sticky. The ‘devil`s in the details,’ so I fortunately found this perfect article that you should take a look at: CLASSIC TRACKS: Les Paul and Mary Ford ‘How High the Moon’ by Richard Buskin, in Sound On Sound. For the development of Gibson`s Les Paul electric guitar, this Wiki piece is good. Many guitar stars such as Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, & Steve Howe of Yes have used this instrument to showcase their talent. This post is unworthy, every detail of Les Paul`s life and work requires exacting examination.

Please send us your Les Paul stories…

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