Les Paul, the man behind the signature guitar of the same died, passed away today at the age of 94.
I had already been playing guitar for a few years after I realized that not only was Les Paul a real guy, but he was still alive. Somehow I think Jimmy Page, Slash, Eric Clapton, Wes Montgomery, Keith Richards, Pete Townshend and seven zillion others players more famous than I already knew that.
Along with his massive influence on six stringers, Paul is credited as the man who pioneered multi-track recording, which basically gave way to an entirely new way of putting sound on tape.
There's a whole lot to be said about Paul, but the one thing I'll remember at him is how we kept a weekly Monday night residence at the Iridium in New York from 1996 until June 2009. The man literally played regularly until he died. That's an artist.
Rest in peace, Les. We'll see ya on the other side.
