Les Paul Biography | American Guitarist and Electric Guitar Inventor

Lester William Polfus (Paul)

Born: June 9, 1915
Died: August 13, 2009
Place of Birth: Waukesha, Wisconsin

Major Notes:

Les Paul is the recognized inventor of the modern electric guitar.
He first displayed an interest in music at eight years old when he began to play the harmonica.
After working with the banjo, by age 13 Les Paul became quite proficient in playing country music on the guitar.
He dropped out of high school at 17 and joined a band playing music on a radio station in St. Louis, Missouri.
Paul continued to develop his skills on the guitar by becoming a popular jazz guitarist in the 1930's.
He was not satisfied with the sound and quality of electric guitars used at this time.
He began experimenting with using a solid wood block as the basis for an electric guitar
Paul helped Leo Fender perfect an electric guitar for Fender Guitars.
Fender used several of Les Paul's guitar designs but at first would not put the Fender label name on the guitars.
Throughout the 40's, Paul played with a number of featured artists such as Nat "King" Cole, Bing Crosby, and the Andrew Sisters.
In 1948, Paul was involved in an accident which led to a loss of time during his career and a permanent right angle in one arm.
Les Paul experimented with using multi-layered sound tracks and in 1947 released such a song under the Capital Records label.
In the 1950's, Paul and his wife, singer Mary Ford, were releasing multi-layered compositions which featured the skills of Paul on his electric guitar.
The couple began having records that placed high on the hit parade charts.
Paul's inventiveness on the guitar itself became the mark of the modern rock and roll era.
He was able to use repeated notes, clunking sounds, quick runs, and overlays.
Over the decades, his guitar became used by numerous bands other than rock and roll.
Les Paul has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

For detailed research and more information, check out the following: The Les Paul Story The Rock and Roll Journal Les Paul Biography Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Wikipedia Vh1.com Please report any broken or incorrect links above to:
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Major Notes:

Les Paul is the recognized inventor of the modern electric guitar.

He first displayed an interest in music at eight years old when he began to play the harmonica.

After working with the banjo, by age 13 Les Paul became quite proficient in playing country music on the guitar.

He dropped out of high school at 17 and joined a band playing music on a radio station in St. Louis, Missouri.

Paul continued to develop his skills on the guitar by becoming a popular jazz guitarist in the 1930's.

He was not satisfied with the sound and quality of electric guitars used at this time.

He began experimenting with using a solid wood block as the basis for an electric guitar

Paul helped Leo Fender perfect an electric guitar for Fender Guitars.

Fender used several of Les Paul's guitar designs but at first would not put the Fender label name on the guitars.

Throughout the 40's, Paul played with a number of featured artists such as Nat "King" Cole, Bing Crosby, and the Andrew Sisters.

In 1948, Paul was involved in an accident which led to a loss of time during his career and a permanent right angle in one arm.

Les Paul experimented with using multi-layered sound tracks and in 1947 released such a song under the Capital Records label.

In the 1950's, Paul and his wife, singer Mary Ford, were releasing multi-layered compositions which featured the skills of Paul on his electric guitar.

The couple began having records that placed high on the hit parade charts.

Paul's inventiveness on the guitar itself became the mark of the modern rock and roll era.

He was able to use repeated notes, clunking sounds, quick runs, and overlays.

Over the decades, his guitar became used by numerous bands other than rock and roll.

Les Paul has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the National Inventors Hall of Fame.