Legendary Music Icon Les Paul Dies

It’s known as multi-track recording, and it’s the basis for everything you’ve heard or seen since the 1950’s. The process, which involves recording one track of audio or video over another, is a basic technique – one of the first things you learn as a recording engineer or an editor – and it was invented by Les Paul.

Paul also invented the solid body electric guitar, and his signature model produced by Gibson is (with the Fender Stratocaster) one of the two most famous guitar models in the world. Some of the thousands of musicians who gained fame on the necks of a Gibson Les Paul include Jimmy Hendrix, Duane Allman, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, The Edge, John Entwistle, John Fogerty, Peter Frampton, Ace Frehley, David Gilmour, Dave Grohl, James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett, Carlos Santana, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Joe Perry, Roy Orbison, Bob Marley, and John Lennon.

Paul’s affect on music is immeasurable, and his passing today in relative obscurity at the age of 94 is the loss of an American pioneer, inventor, and hero. While Paul enjoyed a certain level of celebrity during his hey-day as a musician in the 40’s and 50’s, there are hundreds of millions world wide who have heard his legacy without ever hearing his name.

This interview video with Paul, taken in recognition of his 90th birthday in 2005, puts in perspective his numerous accomplishments, and perhaps shows why the passing of this icon of music and recording should be felt by everyone… even if you never knew who he was when he lived.