Today is the birthday of Les Paul, one of the biggest figures in history when it comes to not only the electric guitar, but he was the pioneer for many famous recording techniques that are still used today. Not only was he an inventor, but a songwriter and musician as well. He was the founder of the solid-body electric guitar, which made the sound of "rock and roll" possible. His model, the Les Paul, has been one of the more popular types of guitars since it has been released, and they are still flying off the shelves. Not only is he credited for the invention of the solid-body electric guitar, but he was one of the pioneers to start using overdubbing on tracks (sound on sound.) Paul had hosted a fifteen-minute radio program, The Les Paul Show, on NBC Radio in 1950, featuring his trio (himself, Ford and rhythm player Eddie Stapleton) and his electronics, recorded from their home and with gentle humor between Paul and Ford bridging musical selections, some of which had already been successful on records, some of which anticipated the couple's recordings, and many of which presented re-interpretations of such jazz and pop selections as "In the Mood", "Little Rock Getaway", "Brazil" and "Tiger Rag." Over ten of these shows survive among old-time radio collectors today.A bad automobile accident in 1948 put Les out of work for about a year and half; however, he had an alternative. His right arm had to be set at a permanent right angle for him to be suitable to play the guitar. Now that is amazing! He was also one of the first to innovate other recording techniques such as tape delay, phasing effects, and multi-tracking. Without his experiments and innovation in the recording industry, who knows where we would be at today because he did so much for the recording industry.
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