Les Paul’s Influence

Les Paul, inventor and innovator of the solid body electric guitar, passed away last week.  Paul signed with Gibson Guitar company in 1950 to design and manufacture The Gibson Les Paul model, still available today.  Just as there would be no rock n’ roll without the electric guitar; there would be no Chicago blues without the influence of electrified guitar sound.  Chicago blues in the 1960s was dominated by Muddy Waters, Elmore James and Howlin’ Wolf.  Correspondent Russell Hall has ranked Howlin’ Wolf’s “Spoonful”, released on Chess Records in 1960, as having one of the top 10 great Gibson Les Paul solos.

3 thoughts on “Les Paul’s Influence

  1. He was one of my favorite guitarists of all time. Albums like Chester and Lester with Chet Atkins and Warm and Wonderful will make him unforgetable. Great video by the way.

  2. Apart from his personal musical legacy, Les Paul has had an enormous influence on all kinds of music in the twentieth century onwards with his invention of the solid-bodied guitar. That must be up there at least with the invention of the piano.

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