I'm amazed as well as appalled that not only in the forums, but in the newspapers themselves, the death of innovator/inventor/pioneer, Les Paul, was reduced to barely more than a blurb. Not only was this man one of my state's own sons, but he literally reinvented music as we know it. He invented the solid-body electric guitar, he invented multi-track recording, as well as many other innovations with regard to recording, he's been the inspiration for millions of guitarists and musicians....and he's given little more than a passing, cursory thought. There is not one single musical artist over the past 60 years, from ANY genre, that does not owe any success they've had directly to Les Paul. Not Elvis Presley, not John Lennon, not Michael Jackson....nobody!

It's astounding to me how so few people remember the magnitude of what he's done for the entertainment world, and even fewer know who he was at all. All most people know about Les Paul is that it's a kind of guitar.

Up until his death, he was still playing two shows a night every Monday night at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City....at the age of 94! Granted, arthritis had stilled and paralyzed all but two fingers of his left hand, and he certainly couldn't always pull off those amazingly lightning-fast licks that made him famous like he used to, but the very fact that he was still playing for his public at his age is jaw-dropping enough.

Very heartbreaking. In his typical modest fashion, I know he would not mind if a big deal was not made about him, his accomplishments, or his death, but the man deserves so much better.

R.I.P., Mr. Lester William Polsfuss. You've definitely earned it, at least in MY book.

Yet, they still aint shut the hell up about wakko jakko kicking the bucket... I'm with you 100% les Paul is deffinately one of the greatest losses in music ever...

His music isnt particularly to my taste, but then i still can appreciate the quality of his musicianship, and respect what he has done for the music world.

I am guessing that is the problem here. His style of music, regardless of the quality of it, is just not that popular.

Perhaps not popular compared to the garbage that passes for today's music (by and large), but one must remember, his heyday, both as a solo artist as well as a duo with his wife, Mary Ford, was back in the '40's and early '50's, and his musical style was quite ahead of its time for that era.

I agree with your original post & haven't posted anything about his passing because it appeared to me that a number were already doing that in another thread.

I think his passing is hardly noticed by the "masses" in general because his music wasn't being played on any top "20" (remember when it used to be 40?) music rotations. His music was 1 you had to purposefully search for. And these days anything that isn't immediately in your face, most don't know about or even want to care about it.

As you already said, his technical innovations were amazing and cutting edge. If not for his multi-track pioneer work, The Beach Boys, "Good Vibrations", as released, would not have been possible.

How about a performance by Les with 1 of his inventions?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foXSXOAfB4U

'Popular' music didnt really begin until the late 50's. Much of the music before that time, doesnt really appeal to the ear of most people. Les Paul's music hasnt dated all that well, in my opinion. It sounds old, even though it may have been ahead of its time, at the time. I find it hard to properly appreciate. I find myself wanting to like it, and trying to acquire the taste for it, but it just doesn't really cut the mustard with me. I find myself appreciating the skill in his playing, but not in the end result of the whole song.

Thats not to take anything away from Les. He is a legend. But for the most part he is probably going to be one of the unsung heroes.

I think that's a point well taken. Music is so subjective it's difficult to "make" someone else like the same styles as you do. It either trips your trigger or it doesn't. At least you appreciate his innovations & cutting edge approach to wanting to expand the electric guitar's capabilities.

To be honest, I only knew his name because of the guitar. But after his death the local collage radio did a weekend tribute to him by playing his music and I was amazed at what he could do.

Well... not ALL media outlets reduced Paul's death to a mere handful of sentences.

The L.A. Times -for example- dedicated a whole two and one-half page article on him, as well as the many now-standard recording practices and standards to the recording industry. A number of other newspapers here on the Left Coast also made similar tributes.

If anything, the one thing they DIDN'T do was spend much time detailing his contributions to guitar manufacturing, with the creation of one of the first solid-body electric guitars almost sixty years ago.

I grew up watching my Dad tap his foot and jam along to Les Paul & Mary Ford. It made for happy times!

he didn't die a sensational death

people seem to need sensationalism

well then how about another Les Paul moment....

How High the Moon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0ffdwBUL78

Lester and Chester

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByGsHTlKmWk

How dare he not die of a drug overdose!

and most important to me

he learned to play a guitar just to demonstrate the electronics theories he had

Les Paul INVENTED the electric guitar. And all the recording techniques used today was his invention

But everyone was affected by his inventions

sort of like how no one remembers Philo T Farnsworth

Exactly! Les Paul DID NOT:
die of an overdose
hit a cop
cheat on his wife
juggle the financial books
have reconstructive surgery
plageurize his music
get a D.U.I.
tap dance with anyone in a restroom
have Monica Lewinsky's phone number

Les Paul did stardom the old fashioned way...he earned it!

He also got old and died..there is something tragic about young death regardless of their history. And for John Lennon to be murdered at 40....
I find that more appalling and shocking than sensational.

So true on the age and natural causes thing. People hear he was 82 or 91 or whatever and think, "He was a lucky man to have had success, stardom and to live a long life". Sometimes, no news is good news.

The closest thing he came to a "scandal" was being twice divorced.