The world of rock music lost one of it's pioneers Thursday. Les Paul, who was instrumental (so to speak) in the development of the solid body electric guitar, an instrument which "made the sound of rock and roll possible" passed away of complications from pneumonia. He was 94.
To say that he had a profound effect on the world of rock 'n' roll would be a gross understatement. Along with pioneering his eponymously named guitar Paul developed and produced the first multi track recording machine, accomplished by stacking eight mono tape machines and sending their outputs to one piece of tape. This allowed him to record each element of the music on a separate track. In this way Paul was able to mix the volumes of the vocals and instruments separately as well as the ability to add effects to each channel individually.
Another innovation of his was the addition of an extra playback head to his tape recorder which produced a delayed effect which became known as tape echo. This technique gave the recording more of a "live" feel and allowed the player to simulate different playing environments.
Les Paul was a true legend. Thinking back now over all the guitarists who adopted his creation as their signature axe; Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Duanne Allman, Mike Bloomfield, Eddie Van Halen, Peter Frampton and Slash to name but a few. Paul is Steve Miller's godfather. Jimi Hendrix consulted him about the construction of Electric Ladyland Studios. He was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame at the 3rd annual induction dinner. Jeff Beck was his presenter.
The Gibson Les Paul has always been a personal favourite of mine. I like the look, I love the sound. In that I am not alone.
It isn't everyday that we loose a true original. Thursday, August 13th, 2009 was one of those days. So rest in peace Les, and thank you for your gift.
Enjoy that great jam session in the sky.
The Aardvark
For more information on Les Paul check out the following links:
In Loving Memory of Les Paul (Gibson Guitar)
