Les Paul- The Original Guitar God

Without Les Paul, B.B. King wouldn't have Lucille. Gibson would be just another guitar company. The musical genre of rock wouldn't exist. And the Manchester, England group nicknamed the "Fab Four" wouldn't hit our shores.

When Lester William Polfus, of Waukseha, Wisconsin, first tried to create an electric guitar at thirteen, he placed a telephone receiver under the strings of an acoustic guitar. It worked a bit, but the sound was too low. A bit more tinkering, and Lester perfected the instrument enough to create the elctric guitar- and he was only fourteen. Of course, this idea was a bit "crazy"- he said that people called him a "nut", when he played it in a nightclub. Of course, somebody would get the last laugh, as Gibson created the Les Paul- named for the creator, the aforementioned Lester Polfus, who had shortened his last name to "Paul".


But Paul didn't just reinvent the guitar as we know it today, but also invented the eight-track recording, which was the start of the multi-track recording technology that exists to this day. He also created a delayed effect called tape echo. He also had a string of hits with his wife of 13 years, Mary Ford. They also had a weekly TV show in the 1950's. The two divorced in 1962, and Ford died in 1977.

But Paul was his happiest when he was performing in front of adoring fans at New York spots. Even when he became ill, Paul kept on performing, almost right to the end. Heaven obviously needed another rocker today, so they called up Les. Many a rock and blues guitarist owe a great debt to Les. Without him, music would a lot less enjoyable.

(C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.