Les Paul has died

topround · « **on:** 13 Aug 2009, 01:38 am »

I just found out
he has passed
Very Sad Day
He was a monster guitar player, and a local.

Mike

Nels Ferre · « **Reply #1 on:** 13 Aug 2009, 02:21 am »

That sucks- he was awesome. I should have made the trip to see him play. I'll go spin some of his music in his honor.

Len_Dreyer · « **Reply #2 on:** 13 Aug 2009, 02:52 am »

A true music icon, excerpt from Allmusic.com:

"Les Paul has had such a staggeringly huge influence over the way American popular music sounds today that many tend to overlook his significant impact upon the jazz world. Before his attention was diverted toward recording multi-layered hits for the pop market, he made his name as a brilliant jazz guitarist whose exposure on coast-to-coast radio programs guaranteed a wide audience of susceptible young musicians. Heavily influenced by Django Reinhardt at first, Paul eventually developed an astonishingly fluid, hard-swinging style of his own, one that featured extremely rapid runs, fluttered and repeated single notes, and chunking rhythm support, mixing in country & western licks and humorous crowd-pleasing effects. No doubt his brassy style gave critics a bad time, but the gregarious, garrulous Paul didn't much care; he was bent on showing his audiences a good time."

DeadFish · « **Reply #3 on:** 13 Aug 2009, 03:00 am »

Damn!

What Len said....

He sure played some great licks..

SET Man · « **Reply #4 on:** 13 Aug 2009, 04:38 am »

Hey!

Very sad indeed.

A true legend in music world and even sound recoding world.

I once watched a documentary about him on PBS I think. And he contributed more than just music to the world. Rock & Roll wouldn't be Rock & Roll the way we know it today without him.

Take care,
Buddy

JerryM · « **Reply #5 on:** 13 Aug 2009, 04:58 am »

A Classic is lost. What great contributions he made.

srb · « **Reply #6 on:** 13 Aug 2009, 05:02 am »

Quote from: SET Man on 13 Aug 2009, 04:38 am

And he contributed more than just music to the world.

Yes he was a musical inventor as well.

He is credited with inventing the solid-body electric guitar in 1941, and a pioneer in many recording innovations including overdubbing, delay effects, phasing effects, sound on sound and multitrack recording.

Steve

lcrim · « **Reply #7 on:** 13 Aug 2009, 05:36 am »

Can anybody post where this is reported? I cannot find any corroboration for this report.

srb · « **Reply #8 on:** 13 Aug 2009, 06:04 am »

Okay, back to you Mike. Where did you hear this?

He was apparently hospitalized in June, but there is no news report of his death to be found.

Steve

topround · « **Reply #9 on:** 13 Aug 2009, 09:25 am »

I found out from his family

gary · « **Reply #10 on:** 13 Aug 2009, 12:17 pm »

Sad, but he lived a long and great life. To say the least.
I will be cranking up Chester & Lester in his honor tonight.

Gary

chosenhandle · « **Reply #11 on:** 13 Aug 2009, 01:13 pm »

sad news indeed.

what a remarkable man!

Lyndon · « **Reply #12 on:** 13 Aug 2009, 05:40 pm »

Thanks, Mike, for the info.
I got out my cuts that I had, but will try to locate that Chester and Lester album. Didn't know anything about it.
He was an amazing man, gifted and kind to all.

Airborn · « **Reply #13 on:** 13 Aug 2009, 05:56 pm »

A sad day, what a great loss.

Lots of obituaries online now:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/arts/music/14paul.html?_r=1&hp
http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=425984&GT1=28102
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-les-paul14-2009aug14,0,6971065.story

ricmon · « **Reply #14 on:** 13 Aug 2009, 07:20 pm »

Quote from: SET Man on 13 Aug 2009, 04:38 am

Hey!

Very sad indeed. A true legend in music world and even sound recoding world.

I once watched a documentary about him on PBS I think. And he contributed more than just music to the world. Rock & Roll wouldn't be Rock & Roll the way we know it today without him.

Take care,
Buddy

Rock and Roll...................... man the profundity of his contributions to all music is beyon scope. His impact on music is just staggering.

Ric

launche · « **Reply #15 on:** 13 Aug 2009, 08:34 pm »

Looks like a life well lived. I am not sad because he seems like he made his time count and lived a long fruitful life. What more can one ask.
The same feeling I had for Eunice Kennedy Shriver. We should all be so lucky.

Love intensely, contribute good things, laugh until you cry and let your eyes and heart experience the wonders of the world.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #16 on:** 13 Aug 2009, 10:58 pm »

He was a real giant whose impact was felt all throughout the world of music, every genre. He invented the electric guitar and multi-tracking, used by nearly all professional musicians. 94 years, that's a pretty good run. He will be missed, for sure.

mightym · « **Reply #17 on:** 14 Aug 2009, 12:20 am »

Les Paul, The Guitar god's, Guitar God.

Irreverent, but that's how it is.

May he rest in peace.

dB Cooper · « **Reply #18 on:** 14 Aug 2009, 12:30 am »

Quote from: gary on 13 Aug 2009, 12:17 pm

Sad, but he lived a long and great life. To say the least.
I will be cranking up Chester & Lester in his honor tonight.

Gary

Me too!

The Chester and Lester Grammy appearance was my first exposure to this giant. Bought both of those records, and have the CD reissue which has (almost) all of both LP releases on it. And in 1994, I was fortunate to see him at the Guitar Congress in Towson University in MD. I couldn't believe the riser they made him climb up on; I thought he was going to go over a couple times... His "chops" were obviously diminished, but there was an occasional reminder of the "flashy" Les. I figured when I went that it would be the only chance I would ever get to see him, and that sadly turned ought to be correct.
RIP Les.

dB Cooper · « **Reply #19 on:** 15 Aug 2009, 01:18 am »

When Michael Jackson died, he had a banner on the iTunes store home page (I think) the same day. Les Paul dies, after inventing the solid body electric guitar, overdubbing, sampling, and multitrack recording, in addition to being the only person elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, and the Inventors Hall of Fame, and...

Nothing.

I suppose that's a comment on our cultural values, huh?

Guess he shoulda had more plastic surgery