Les Paul

Background

Lester William Polsfuss was born on June 9, 1915. He was a Gemini, born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and was of German ancestry. Paul’s parents divorced in his childhood. He began playing the harmonica at age eight and then switched to the piano and guitar. He then invented a neck-work harmonica holder, which allowed him to play both sides of the instrument hands-free. He was performing semi-professionally as a country-music singer, guitarist, and harmonica player at age 13. He then dropped out of high school and teamed up with Sunny Joe Wolverton’s Radio Band in St. Louis.

Paul moved to Chicago with Wolverton in 1934. They performed at the Chicago World Fair. He played music under the moniker Rhubarb Red on the radio in the daytime and at night, he was jazz-playing Les Paul. By 1937, Paul formed a trio with Jim Atkins and Ernie Newton. In 1944, his trio appeared on Bing Crosby’s radio show. In 1940, Paul created a prototype instrument called the Log, which was one of the pioneer solid-body guitars. He approached Gibson Guitar Corporation with his guitar idea in 1941, but it wasn’t until Fender began marketing its Esquire and Broadcaster guitars in 1950 that they showed interest. The guitar was dubbed the Gibson Les Paul and released for sale in 1952. Paul received royalties on sales. However, after the sales dropped in 1960, a modern model was introduced, which Paul didn’t like because of design defects. He ended his endorsement of the guitar and terminated the use of his name from 1964 to 1966. In 1965, he went into semi-retirement before recording two albums, “Chester and Lester” (1976) and “Guitar Monsters” (1978), for RCA Victor.

Paul created a recording studio in his garage and recorded songs for several musicians. His personal life wasn’t as public as his professional one. Paul married Virginia Webb in 1937, and they had two children before their divorce in 1949. He then met Irin Colleen Summers, A.K.A. Mary Ford, a country-western singer in 1945, and they began working together. They produced several hits including ‘How High the Moon,’ ‘Bye Bye Blues,’ and ‘Vaya con Dios,’ and married in 1949. Paul and Ford divorced in 1964 and two children together. On August 12, 2009, Paul died following complications of pneumonia at the White Plains Hospital.