Friday, August 14, 2009

Musician Les Paul dies at 94...


Album Cover..Les Paul and Mary Ford..

Les Paul, who revolutionized Guitar playing and recorded sound, passed away yesterday at the age of 94..He was mainly known for introducing the solid-body electric guitar to the world of music..He was also known for experimenting with electronic sounds in such a way that it ultimately changed the way music is played.
New York Times Obituary:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/arts/music/14paul.html?_r=1

Along with his then-wife, Mary Ford, Mr. Paul had his biggest success in the mid 1950's with many hit records, including "Vaya Con Dios"..That success led to a 5-minute TV series, "Les Paul and Mary Ford at Home" that was nationally syndicated..Sponsored by Listerine and Richard Hudnut, the series was seen in Cleveland on WJW-Channel 8..usually following The 6 or 11PM Newscasts..The show seems a bit hokey watching it today..Mary is doing something in the home while Les just happens to come along with his guitar...suggesting any reason to sing a song..Which they, of course, do nicely..

Here, from YouTube user GrumpyPolecat is a sample of "Les Paul and Mary Ford at Home".With Mary singing "I'm sitting on top of the World" and Les playing "This Can't Be Love"




Interesting what they could do with what amounts to 4 1/2 minutes..set up a storyline, do 2 songs and a commercial or sometimes one song and 2 commercials..Then wrap up the storyline and say good bye..There are some other samples of Les and Mary's shows in the related videos..

Our condolences to the Les Paul Family at this time..

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