Guitar Legend Les Paul Passes Away

The sound of the Les Paul electric guitar permeates every musical genre. From punk to pop, reggae to rock, the iconic guitar has been played and revered by many top musicians, including Eric Clapton, Slash, Steve Jones, Keith Urban and the Edge.

But the influence of Les Paul, the man, stretches further than the distinctive sound and curve of his iconic instrument. Announcing his death, a spokesperson from Gibson, producer of the guitar, called Mr Paul "one of the foremost influences on 20th-Century sound".

Mr Paul pioneered the shift from acoustic to electric guitar and invented multi-track recording, as well as having a string of hits himself. Paul's innovative guitar, "The Log", built in 1939, was one of the first solid-body electric guitars. Gibson Guitars designed a guitar incorporating Paul's suggestions in the early fifties, and presented it to him to try. He was impressed enough to sign a contract for what became the "Les Paul" model (originally only in a "gold top" version), and agreed never to be seen playing in public, or be photographed, with anything other than a Gibson guitar.

Rock and roll, country and blues music would never be the same...

From the words of Keith Urban:

“I have a mix of emotions today. On one hand, I am deeply saddened at Les Paul’s passing, and on the other a feeling of incredible gratitude and awe for his unquantifiable contribution to the world of music. His name adorns so many of the creations that I communicate through every night out here on the road...He is also very present every time I set foot in the studio and am able to lay multiple tracks as I record, when I use echo, etc., the list of his inventions, in addition to his famous signature model Gibson, are extraordinary. I also feel that even in his nineties, the fact he was still playing every Monday night in New York is perhaps the most beautiful and inspiring achievement of all. As Vince Gill would say, “Go rest high on that mountain Les...cause son, your work on earth is done.”

From the words of Aerosmith's Joe Perry:

"As a guitarist and a fan of music in general, I know the amazing contributions Les Paul made in his lifetime to the art of making music. I think if the general public knew how much of that influence is heard every day in the music that they listen to, they would be amazed. He was a true genius. The few times that I had met him, he made me feel like I had known him forever. He was always sharp, ready to rock and he was always talking about his next gig. Knowing that he is not walking the earth anymore is sad and I have lost a friend. But every time I pick up a guitar I’ll know that his spirit is alive and well right next to me."

From BB King:

"Les Paul was truly a 'one of a kind.' We owe many of his inventions that made the rock 'n roll sound of today to him, and he was the founding father of modern music. This is a huge loss to the music community and the world. I am honored to have known him."