Les Paul Research Paper

Music is a big part of everyone's life. You hear different types of music in the car, at school, on your tv, at concerts, in stores, at a party, at church, and on your phone. Several genres of modern day music include uses of the electric guitar. Instruments are marvelous inventions and they are very important in present day life. Les Paul was the inventor of the electric guitar that is still used commonly today. He was alive from 1915 to 2009 and made many improvements in music of all kinds. His impact on the music industry still lasts and will last for many years to come. Les Paul was born on June 9, 1915. As he grew up, his mom made him go to many music lessons, although some teachers said that “your boy, Lester, will never learn music.”

By this time, Les had teamed up with Gibson about ten years ago and created his signature Les Paul Guitar which is now known as the Gibson Les Paul. Musicians of all kinds, such as Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Paul McCartney all used his guitar. Paul was so dedicated to creating and playing his guitars that when he got in a car accident and shattered his right elbow, he told the doctors that if his arm was going to be immobile, to set it at an angle to that he’d still be able to strum his guitar. With the encouragement on Bing Crosby, a musician that Paul had worked with in years past, Paul built a recording studio on his own in his Los Angeles home. After divorcing his previous wife, Virginia Webb, Les met his future wife Colleen Summers, who performed as a singer in Gene Autry’s band. He changed her name to Mary Ford and they began recording together. For a few years, they even had their own television show! The couple had over three dozen hits together. Their final recorded album called “American Made, World Played”, debuted in 2005 and featured multiple other famous artists such as, but not limited to, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, Sting, and Eric Clapton. Paul collected two Grammy awards for his last album. He sadly passed away due to complications associated with pneumonia on August 12, 2009. Some sources say that his death date is August 13th, but his memorial in Waukesha,