Legendary guitar player and monumental music figure Les Paul passed away today and it's pretty much impossible to overstate his importance in the development of modern music. Not only did he build one of the first solid body guitars in 1941, but he also was an innovator in multi-track recording and developed effects for the guitar that were the foundation of the rock n' roll sound, such as tape delay.
Perhaps even more amazingly, he continued playing regularly right up until the end and could be found playing at New York clubs even at the age of 94. His dedication to guitar playing was further evidenced by an incident 1948 when in broke his arm. In order to be able to continue to play the guitar his right arm was set at a permanent right angle suitable for cradling and strumming.
In the early '50s Gibson introduced the signature Les Paul model based off his suggestions and designs. Notable players of various Les Paul Gibsons are a veritable who's-who of prominent guitar players and include: Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, Slash, Eddie Van Halen, John Lennon, Pete Townsend, Frank Zappa, Neil Young and many more.
The course of music history would have undoubtedly been different without him and the profound effects of his direct and indirect contributions to our culture are truly staggering.
Below is a video of Paul and then wife Mary Ford performing the jazz standard "How High the Moon" over a 24 track recording for a total of 26 tracks, which was likely unprecedented at the time.
I'm not one to let celebrity deaths affect me too much, but Michael Jackson's passing today is one that hits home particularly hard. Sure the real Michael checked out quite a while back and the increasingly bizarre shell of a man that was left behind was more than a little sad. But for me he'll always be the epitome of cool that he was when I was a little kid during the Thriller period of the early to mid 80s. I still remember watching the Motown 25th Anniversary special when MJ busted out the moonwalk for the first time while performing Billie Jean and instantly went from star to icon. Seeing a historic moment like that is not easily forgotten, and the man who created it will not be replaced, ever.
Thriller was the first record I ever owned and I still have that scratched and worn copy. To this day there isn't a dance party that happens at my house without me busting it out. Me and my other DJ friends had a running joke that playing one of the hot dance tracks from Thriller in order to get people out on the dance floor was like "shooting fish in a barrel" and almost too easy. Michael's vocals, Quincy Jones' production and nearly flawless songwriting all combined for an R&B masterpiece that was both forward looking and had the best elements of the classic soul and funk that came before it. How many dance tracks since have shamelessly stole the perfection that is the "Billie Jean" bassline? Too many to count. Sure "The Lady in My Life" is kind of a clunker and the duet with Paul McCartney, "The Girl is Mine" is beyond cheesy, but the other seven tracks are undeniable classics. Seven classic tracks on one album, are you kidding me? Can any other artist besides the Beatles boast such a stat? I think not.
So I'm going home to rock my scratchy copy of Thriller one more time to pay tribute to one of the greatest performers of the 20th Century tonight. Let's not focus on the scandal and other distractions that clouded his life, but instead let's remember the enormous talent he had and what a gift his music and dancing was to our world. In my memories he is forever in his prime, dancing like a zombie in the "Thriller" video, lighting up the sidewalks in "Billie Jean", and leading thugs in a West Side Story style dance routine in "Beat It".
It's hard for me not to get a little teary eyed when thinking of the puppet shows my cousin and I used to perform to his music when we were kids. I remember another time when my father, who worked at Warner Bros. at the time, gave me a stack of promo 8X10" glossys of MJ in the trademark Thriller leather jacket. Suffice to say that when I brought them to school the next day I've never been so popular before or since. The Thriller album will always be associated with my childhood and I feel lucky to have had such an amazing soundtrack to that special period of my life.
RIP MJ, thank you for all of the magic and happiness you brought to literally billions of people, you will be dearly missed.
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