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09 Jun 2011 16:49

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Music: Today would have been Les Paul’s 96th birthday

  • Happy electric guitar day, everyone! Les Paul, the musical legend centrally responsible for developing the electric guitar, as well as a range of musical innovations (he also pioneered multi-track recording), was born today in 1915. Paul led a long and industrious life; and still regularly performed into his 90s, ultimately passing away in 2009 from pneumonia complications. In honor of Paul’s birthday, Google has a pretty cool logo variant up that lets you strum some guitar chords, definitely worth a look if you have a few idle moments. A tidbit about the man’s commitment: he shattered his right arm in a car crash, and had the doctors pin his elbow at a 90-degree angle so he could continue to play, even though he’d lost all movement at his elbow. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Aug 2009 00:45

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Music: Gibson’s CEO says Les Paul had a huge influence on the company

  • The guitar shines in modern music. … In the ’50s and before the ’50s, the guitar was amplified, but it was just louder. In other words, it still sounded just like an acoustic guitar, but you could turn it up. What Les did was turn it into a whole new instrument.
  • Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz • Describing the Les Paul guitar’s role in musical history, and how the guitar became a musical icon. Paul’s influence has helped the company in numerous ways – he convinced Gibson to start selling cheaper models of the namesake model, helping the guitar fly off the shelves and putting it in the hands of the average person. And to think, they laughed at “The Log!” • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink

14 Aug 2009 00:26

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Music: More on the coolest guitar hack ever, Les Paul’s “The Log”

When Paul introduced this guitar to guitar manufacturers, they laughed at him, calling it a “broomstick with pickups.” They’re not laughing anymore, kids. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Aug 2009 00:11

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Music: Five key moments in guitar innovator Les Paul’s life (R.I.P., bro)

  • 1941 Paul, a jazz musician, decided to get more sound out of his guitar by putting a log in the middle. In the process, he invented the solid-body guitar.
  • 1946 Paul experiments with a tape recorder in his garage. He layers his guitar’s tone on one song, “Lover,” and invents multi-track recording.
  • 1949 Paul divorces his first wife and marries Mary Ford, his music partner. The two spend much of the early 1950s as major musical stars, notching hits until 1955.
  • 1952 Gibson asks Paul to promote its new solid-body guitar; Paul influenced the guitar’s design only a little, but the guitar’s name helped build Paul’s legend.
  • later Paul never gave up his craft and continued to be a musical icon late in life, playing NYC clubs well into his 90s. Paul died Thursday at 94. His legacy is insane. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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