At the risk of turning Friday posts into eulogies, I have to take the time today to mark the passing of guitar legend Les Paul yesterday at the age of 94 due to complications from pneumonia.
In 1941, Les Paul created what he called "the log" - a hollowed out piece of wood strung with steel filament. Little did he know that this instrument would evolve into the trademark guitar of some of the best musicians in the world, such as Pete Townsend, Steve Howe and Jimmy Page. Les Paul's signature model was produced by Gibson in 1952 and has gone on to be one of the most widely used guitars in music. It is also one of the most easily recognizable guitars as well, with its fluid lines and beautiful fret.
Les Paul was also an accomplished musician who, with his wife Mary, had 36 gold records and 11 number one hits during the course of his career. He also helped revolutionize the recording industry by helping to bring about the rise of multi-track recordings and overdubbing when making records.
His influence on the music industry as a whole is undeniable and visionary, a true musical legend.
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I'd also like to send wishes for a speedy recovery to Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. Aerosmith was forced to cancel the rest of their summer tour after Steven fell off the stage at a recent show in South Dakota. He suffered a broken shoulder and needed stitches, so needless to say, he's in no shape to take the Tyler Shuffle back out on the road. It strikes me as kind of funny how he performed countless shows hyped up on drugs and managed to stay on the stage, but now that he's stone cold sober he falls off. Hmmm....
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