Les Paul, Guitar Virtuoso, dies at age 94

Hello World Family,
On this the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock, guitar great Les Paul has passed away from complications from pneumonia. To try to sum up the accomplishments of this man in a few lines is simply impossible. He was one of the greatest pickers ever. His innovations of, with, and for the guitar are unmeasurable. He was a studio progressive, seeing the way forward into an emerging music industry that was just about to burst forth in Rock 'N Roll. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Without Les Paul and Leo Fender, there would be no electric guitar.

The first Gibson solid-body was released in 1952. Les Paul's contribution to recording was unprecedented: he created multi-track recording. He and his wife Mary Ford (Colleen Summers), experimented with echo and over-dubbing. It completely changed the way previous releases of his music sounded, and revolutionized the industry, to say the very least.

If you listen to electric music today, if you have ever touched a Les Paul autograph, solid-body, pearl inlaid, black guitar...or dreamed about it, say a prayer of thanks for Les Paul's gift to the world. If you haven't...well, you probably aren't reading this on the Internet, are you? If by chance you are about to hear your first electronic guitar tonight, may I suggest a recording:"I'm Sitting on Top of the World". Somewhere in the heavens, he is sitting, and hopefully, still smiling.

Thank you, very, very much, Mr. Paul. For everything you gave us, inspired us to do, and took from our dreams and brought into reality...thank you bunches!

I will miss you...from the top to bottom of my heart...I love you.

Peace be with you and your family,
Falcon