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I just read that the great Les Paul passed away today at age 94. They said that in his later years his arthritis was so bad that he was approximating chords with just two fingers. I got a chance to see him once.
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What a multitude of accomplishments this man had and the wonders he added to music. Absolutely incredible!
I heard him play only in recordings... what a talent.
RIP, Les Paul!
-------------------- Bruce Bowers
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6451 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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I remember seeing Les Paul and Mary Ford on TV.... WAY BACK WHEN.
He/they, were famous for overdubbing, which had not been done before. I can remember a song they did called "How high the Moon?", in which Mary sang harmony with herself...I think it may have been the first time that had ever been done...at least commercially. And I believe Les Paul did the same with his guitar licks on that same recording...it was all definitely "progressive", at the time. If I remember right, his licks were on an echo.
[ August 13, 2009, 03:07 PM: Message edited by: Jeff Ogden ]
-------------------- Jeff Ogden 8727 NE 68 Terr. Gainesville FL, 32609 Posts: 2138 | From: 8827 NE 68 Terr Gainesville Fl 32609 | Registered: Aug 2002
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-------------------- Brian Oliver Paxton Signs Fort Collins, CO paxton@peakpeak.com www.paxtonsignsofcolorado.com Posts: 237 | From: ft. collins, colorado,usa | Registered: Mar 2001
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-------------------- Brian Oliver Paxton Signs Fort Collins, CO paxton@peakpeak.com www.paxtonsignsofcolorado.com Posts: 237 | From: ft. collins, colorado,usa | Registered: Mar 2001
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A great person, who really pushed the limits of what was being done , into what could be done, and into what has become considered 'normal' these days.
HIs palette was the board wth strings attached, instead of the can with paint inside, but in many ways he was similar to lots of us with the creative passion.
I'd have loved to have watched him, or even met him, but it's funny, only last week, I was explaining to our youngest son who he was, when he was looking at an imitation Les Paul-looking guitar for sale.
A great man & a great innings.
(yes, he did all the above)
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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I can't play guitar but if I ever decide to learn, I'd want to play a Les Paul guitar. The look and sound is so amazing. The quality is unmatched. They ain't cheap either!
What a tremendous legacy from a true visionary. He left his mark on the music business. Rest in Peace, Les Paul. You made so many people happy and will continue to inspire many more.
Sign-cerely, Steve
-------------------- Steve Luck Sign Magic Inc. 2718-b Grovelin Godfrey, Illinois 62035 (618)466-9120 signmagic@sbcglobal.net Posts: 870 | From: 2718-b Grovelin Godfrey, Illinois 62035 | Registered: Dec 2004
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He played at the "Iridium Club" in New York every monday night up until 9 weeks ago. He would stay after and sign guitars for people and sit and talk with anyone.
One cool cat...
Jack
-------------------- Jack Wills Studio Design Works 1465 E.Hidalgo Circle Nye Beach / Newport, OR Posts: 2914 | From: Rocklin, CA. USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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I saw him back in '95 at Fat Tuesdays in NYC. He did a Monday night show there as well. I was really impressed with how nice a guy he was (and funny too).
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Saw him in person a number of times when in the city and when he (they) were in Denver (I was running the sound system at the Denver Auditorium Theatre). He invented many things but the first important one was the "pick ups" that made the amplification possible and hence an electric guitar (got that on the radio today). Great retrospective on NPR today which should be streaming on their website.
RIP
[ August 14, 2009, 12:50 AM: Message edited by: Kent Smith ]
-------------------- Kent Smith Smith Sign Studio P.O.Box 2385, Estes Park, CO 80517-2385 kent@smithsignstudio.com Posts: 1025 | From: Estes Park, CO | Registered: Nov 1998
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Good info there Kent...I'll check that out.
Jack
-------------------- Jack Wills Studio Design Works 1465 E.Hidalgo Circle Nye Beach / Newport, OR Posts: 2914 | From: Rocklin, CA. USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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I saw him on a TV show two or three years ago, just a casual interview/chat. He was lamenting the fact that his arthritis was so bad that he was only able to use a couple of his fingers to finger the strings. Then, he proceeded to play a couple of songs. I swear, I couldn't tell there was anything wrong with him.
Here was a true hero, an inventor, an innovator, and seemed to be a genuinely nice person. His contributions to music in general, and rock music in particular, are legendary and timeless.
But, for some strange reason, someone like Michael Jackson gets the recognition. Go figure.
-------------------- Dale Feicke Grafix 714 East St. Mendenhall, MS 39114
"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." Posts: 2963 | From: Mendenhall, MS | Registered: Apr 1999
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Thanks Brent for the link to Les Paul, I just spent an hour in nostalgia. Mark
-------------------- Mark Baty Mark 1 Studio 1980 SE Leeann Drive Waukee, IA 50263 Posts: 45 | From: Waukee, Iowa | Registered: Aug 2008
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Les Paul was an amazing artist! So sad! Dale, you reminded me, Bill and his buddy sit around and all of a sudden one of them will say "Have you heard the news? Micheal Jackson died!" It DID seem like the news overdid that whole thing.
[ August 14, 2009, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: Jane Diaz ]
-------------------- Jane Diaz Diaz Sign Art 628 W. Lincoln Ave. Pontiac, Il. 61764 815-844-7024 www.diazsignart.com Posts: 4102 | From: Pontiac, IL USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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More than inventing the signature guitar( the first solid body) although Gibson in their wisdom didn't bring it out until after the Telecaster...... multi-track recording. There is an excellent article/interview(I have it somewhere)with him in Rolling Stone from the early eighties. You have to check out the Les Paul Trio recordings from waaaaay back. After listening to those we could discuss at end talent when it comes to guitar wizards. "Begin the beginne" He talks about( in the interview)the right arm pose and how he almost lost it after a car accident and in a photo poses with the "log" guitar. Have quite a few albumns (in storage)which I just couldn't part with, pictured with Mary Ford(long gone) holding an SG of the same vintage Clapton used with Cream.An amazing man who made genius a simple word.
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There is a movie about Les Paul and his history. Lots of old footage and interviews showing how he invented the bodyless guitar and its progression. His sound studio inventions also revolutionized what we listen to today.
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6713 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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LES PAUL WAS THE INVENTOR OF WHAT THEY CALL."SOUND ON SOUND".THIS WAS THE FORERUNNER OF RECORDING SEPARATE 'TRACKS'IN THE RECORDING STUDIO. IT WAS THE SOUND YOU HEARD ON THE LES PAUL/MARY FORD RECORDINGS OF THE EARLY 50s...GUITAR SOLOS PLAYED ON SEPARATE RECORDING TRACKS, THEN BLENDED ELECTRONICALLY ON TAPE. THIS TOTALLY CHANGED THE RECORDING BUSINESS AND MADE LES PAUL A VERY WEALTHY MAN. I LEARNED HOW TO PLAY ON A 1953 LES PAUL GIBSON. BEING A 12 YR OLD KID I DIDN'T FULLY APPRECIATE WHAT I HAD. I WONDER WHERE THAT GUITAR IS TODAY. HAPPILY THOUGH, MY SON ERIC TOOK UP THE GUITAR ABOUT EIGHT YRS.AGO, AND IS NOW WORKING ON HIS MASTERS DEGREE IN JAZZ MUSIC IN NEW YORK CITY, AND FILLING IN PLAYING GIGS AT SOME OFF-BROADWAY NIGHT SPOTS. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I'M VERY PROUD. THANK YOU, LES PAUL!!!
[ August 15, 2009, 01:56 PM: Message edited by: Bob Burns ]
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really didn't he was still alive till a few years ago ...knowing what he has done a bit I was amazed .. so when he passed .. been playing his and mary fords music alot lately
amazing what Les Paul can do with a guitar. ..just been plain inspired indeed ... no wonder rock & roll went the way it did ..since almost every musician that was inpired by him used his guitars have been the best of the best . Thank You Les Paul
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