Jazz Guitar Life Network

Les Paul passes away at 94

Jazz Guitar Life mourns the passing of a truly great innovator, inventor and Guitarist who had single handedly changed the course of recorded music and instrumental acumen. The Les Paul sound, along with the man himself, has become synonymous with great tone, attitude, personality and “balls”, and will forever grace the musical landscape of our youth and beyond. There was nothing more potent, when I was growing as a young Guitarist, than a Gibson Les Paul coupled with a Marshall half stack. This was the “sound” heard around the World that still continues to this day…and don’t get me started on how much we owe Les Paul for his recording techniques and inventions, making the world of recorded music a much happier place…:)

I had the great fortune to see Les Paul play at his weekly Monday night gig at the Iridium in New York City about 5 years ago and let me tell ya, he lived up to the image I had of him for so many years. While his playing was a tad subdued, due to some minor surgery involving his right hand, that didn’t slow him down any as he played with fire and passion and his stage antics had the packed room in stitches. It’s a show I will remember for the rest of my life. After all, how often is it that you get to see a living legend, in the truest sense of the word, up close and personal?

Les, you will be missed and your legacy will keep your memory alive for a very long, long time.