What many do not realize is that without Les Paul there is no rock and roll. No Beatles, No Stones, No Jonas Brothers (ew! Maybe he should have put a limit on who can use the guitar). Les Paul, besides being an incredible guitarist, was a rock pioneer and his invention of the solid bodied electric guitar kind of started a pretty big movement in music. I mean can you imagine an unplugged performance of “Enter Sandman” in Madison Square Garden. Yeah, probably wouldn’t sound so metal. Les Paul, rock god, unfortunately passed away today at the age of 94 and instead of focusing on lyricist #97 I thought that it would be only right to pay my respects to the man who shaped 20th century rock and roll by focusing on his incredible life in this post.
Les Paul was a tinkerer. A life long experimenter. Give him a musical object and he would search his brain for ways to make it work and sound better. He also was like any performer who is young at heart. He became easily bored. That is one of the reasons he created the solid bodied electric guitar in the first place. The acoustic guitar simply wasn’t making the cut anymore and Paul wanted some more sound. So, at the same time that Leo Fender also was experiencing a similar dilemna, Paul went on a mission to create a guitar with an electric sound. The project resulted in his famous “Log” (the guitar prototype), a 4 x 4 aptly titled piece of lumber which came with the full works (guitar neck, fret board, and, of course, a pickup). He then slapped on the body of an Epiphone hollow-bodied for the appearance. The result. Well, this:
Look familiar. Yeah, those rock artists today you see performing with a Les Paul in concert are using variations of this 1939 beauty. After performing with the Les Paul Trio (which actually included Chet Atkins older brother, Jim, the Gibson Guitar Corporation got wise and designed a guitar using Les Paul’s plans. Les Paul liked the creation and signed on with Gibson agreeing only to be seen with Gibson guitars. Interestingly, Paul’s contract with Gibson ended after Paul saw a changed, more agressive-looking guitar, in the window-sill of a shop. Gibson had changed the design on Paul and this did not make him happy. Yet, after none other then guitar legend himself Eric Clapton used the guitar again, it regained its popularity and the brand of the Les Paul was once again added to the Gibson line after Paul resumed his relationship with the guitar company.
Paul did not stop at guitars, also revolutionizing recording techniques in 1948. Multitrack recording, which allows for separate tracks of sound to be combined to form one complete project, was also created by Les Paul. Paul also saw the ability to use multi-track recording, as well as several other potential features (like echo) with the new commercially produced reel-to-reel audio tape recorder (recording that focused on reels rather then encased cassettes. Paul, when given the model, used the machine to play along with previous tracks and record over these tracks in the process. Keep in mind the recordings were Mono (singular, ONE) so tracks were erased when new tracks were made. This, of course, until the innovative two to three track recorders that Les Paul created because of the necessity to not erase all of the tracks. With this revolutionary recording process Les Paul, and his wife Mary Ford, created some incredible tracks reflecting on the new technology. For example, “How High The Moon,” and I have a video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UvXr2e9DwU&feature=related (Check this out it is great stuff)
Paul finished his illustrious career with a 1988 induction into the rock and roll hall of fame, an award by the Mix Foundation named after him in honor of his work in audio mixing, an induction into the National Inventors Hall Of Fame and an induction into the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame. His work will forever go down as both incredible and highly necessary. Next time you go to a concert think of how key it is that the guitar is hooked up to an amplifier. Rest in Peace, Les Paul, and for all you aspiring rockers, play on.
The Music Court 
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