R.I.P. LES PAUL, 1915 – 2009

Les Paul has passed away from complications from pneumonia. He was 94.

Obviously, Paul didn’t play metal music – but as an innovator of multi-track recording and solid body guitars (he was – duh – the creator of the Les Paul model Gibson), he definitely had an effect on metal. Also, he was an all-around awesome guitar player.

I’m not sure about the past few years, but when I was a kid he used to play weekly gigs at a now-defunct club called Fat Tuesday’s. I went to see him several times, and he always blew me away. Once, when I was about thirteen, I was leaving the gig when he actually stopped me – he seemed surprised that someone so young had come out to see him. He was incredibly nice, and it made my year to get to speak with him, however briefly.

I know that Paul used to jam with some metal-types, including Slash (who, of course, plays a Les Paul model nine times outta ten). I can’t seem to find any videos of such a jam session. But here he is back in the day with his also-departed wife, Mary Ford.

-AR