Guitar Hero Les Paul Dies at Age 94

Today a great rock 'n roll music legend passed away. Les Paul died at White Plains Hospital in New York from pneumonia complications with friends and family gathered around him, Gibson Guitar reported to the Associated Press. Les Paul may not have been a member of the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, or The Who, but he was perhaps even more loved and admired by rock and roll guitarists all over the world during his 94 years of life.

Les Paul began experimenting with music at the ripe age of 8 with a harmonica. He progressed to the piano and finally the guitar, where he found just the right niche. His music career spiraled upwards from that point on, and even despite some glitches in his career that nearly brought his music life to an end, he never gave up on music.

Known as the father of the solid-bodied electric guitar, Les Paul was able to get his guitars produced through Gibson Guitars in 1952 and finally gain an audience for his new sound. And the rest, they say, is history. Classic rock artists famous for the Gibson Les Paul sound include The Who, Led Zeppelin, and Eric Clapton. Other famous Les Paul players include Slash, Paul McCartney, Frank Zappa, and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day.

The Gibson Les Paul line of guitars became so famous that now their top of the line guitars can be out of the price range for the average musician. Thankfully, Les Paul created the Epiphone brand underneath their canopy, which not only boasts the classic Gibson sound, but is also a little more cost-effective for starving artists. As a close family member to an Epiphone guitar owner, I can attest first-hand that the Les Paul guitar line holds my favorite guitar sound by a long shot.

In addition to his genius guitar line, Les Paul also revolutionized the way we musicians lay down tracks today. Thanks to Les Paul, I can now record piano, guitar, bass, drums, and vocals all at different times, harmonizing whatever I need to, and putting them together when it's finished. That's a pretty impressive feat in and of itself. So impressive, in fact, it's one of the reasons Les Paul was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005.

Les Paul didn't let his elderly age stop him once he reached his 90's. According to some professional guitarists we were talking to a few months ago, he would still play guitar at hot spots in New York, regardless of the fact his health was ailing.

We may never again have the privilege to share the music world with such a revolutionary individual as Les Paul. Without a doubt, his guitar legacy will carry on through generations to come.

Sources:
http://new.music.yahoo.com/les-paul/news/guitar-legend-inventor-les-paul-dies-at-age-94--61992735

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jBD78k8tewQ7FPeiKtJbK8QPmtzAD9A2844O0

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=40991