Les Paul 1915-2009

We are sad to see the passing of one of modern music’s true icons and the creator of the first solid-body electric guitar, Les Paul. His instruments set the standards for others to follow and were synonymous with legends like Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page. A constant innovator, he laid the foundations for all modern recording techniques with his invention of multi-track recording.

He was also an accomplished jazz guitarist and recorded many hit records, winning two Grammy Awards as recently as 2006 for his album Les Paul and Friends: American Made, World Played. He is a member of the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Keith Richards: "He actually taught himself to play guitar in order to demonstrate his electronic theories. All of us owe an unimaginable debt to his work and his talent."

Brian Wilson: "Les Paul and Mary Ford were among my most favourite musicians in the 50's. He was the first guy to do multi guitar multi track recording and that turned me on to guitars and stacking vocals for our records."