Stars from the world of rock and roll have paid tribute to guitar legend Les Paul who has died aged 94.
The US musician died at a New York hospital as a result of complications from pneumonia, the Gibson Guitar company said. Family and friends were at Paul’s bedside when he died at White Plains Hospital.
The pioneer of the electric guitar influenced the course of jazz and rock music with the development of the instrument.
Former Guns N’ Roses lead guitarist Slash, said: “Les Paul was a shining example of how full one’s life can be. He was so vibrant and full of positive energy. I’m honoured and humbled to have known and played with him over the years, he was an exceptionally brilliant man.”
The Beach Boys’ chief songwriter Brian Wilson said: “Les Paul and Mary Ford were among my most favourite musicians in the 50s.
“He was the first guy to do multi guitar, multi track recording and that turned me on to guitars and stacking vocals for our records.”
U2 guitarist The Edge, another fan of Paul’s guitars, also paid tribute.
He said: “A legend of the guitar and a true renaissance man, Les Paul disproves the cliche that you can only be famous for one thing.
“His legacy as a musician and inventor will live on and his influence on rock and roll will never be forgotten.”
ZZ Top’s front man Billy F Gibbons said Paul “brought six strings to electricity and electricity to six strings.
“Les Paul was an innovator, a groundbreaker, a risk taker, a mentor and a friend,” he added. “Try to imagine what we’d be doing if hadn’t come along and changed the world.”
Born in Wisconsin in 1915, Paul’s first musical forays were with the harmonica and banjo before he turned to guitar. Dissatisfied with the acoustic guitars of the time, he began experimenting with electric models.
In 1941 he invented “The Log” — a four-by-four solid piece of wood strung with steel strings. In 1952, Gibson Guitars began to produce the Les Paul guitar.
The model firmly established itself in rock and jazz history, and household names who use a Les Paul guitar include Eric Clapton, Oasis’ Noel Gallagher, Pete Townshend of The Who and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page.
Aside from technical inventions that also included innovations in the field of multi-track recording and overdubbing, Paul had a successful career as an instrumentalist.
With his wife Mary Ford on vocals, Paul had a string of hits in the late 1940s. In 1978, the couple were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In February 2006, while in hospital, he learned that he had won two Grammys for Les Paul & Friends: American Made, World Played, an album he released after his 90th birthday.
PA