Guitar legend Les Paul has passed away at the age of 94 after suffering from pneumonia. Paul is widely known as being the inventor of the electric guitar and is often labeled as the "father of modern music." Paul started out early in his life playing the blues on the acoustic guitar. But he was dissatisfied with its sound and in the mid-1930s, Paul began experimenting with creating an electric model. He built "The Log" in 1939, which was the first solid-body electric guitar. The Gibson Guitar Corporation later incorporated Paul's designs and innovations into their own line of electric guitars. Today, Les Paul model guitars are used by professional and amateur guitarists worldwide.
Read more about Paul and his music contributions at Spinner.com
Read more about Paul and his music contributions at Spinner.com
1. When Les Paul was a young man, his right arm was smashed in an auto accident. He refused to agree to an amputation. Bone was grafted from his leg to his arm. His elbow was rebuilt with a metal plate, making it permanently unbending. At his requeset, it was angled in the correct position for playing the guitar. He waited 18 months to find out if he could play again. The rest is history. What a courageous man and what a great talent!
Posted at 2:19PM on Aug 13th 2009 by Ann Crisafulli