Biography
Paul, born Lester William Polsfuss (the last name simplified later by his mother to Polfus) in Waukesha, Wisconsin, first became interested in music at the age of eight, when he began playing the harmonica. After an attempt at learning to play the banjo, Paul began to play the guitar. By 13, Paul was performing semi-professionally as a country-music guitarist. At the age of 17, Paul played with Rube Tronson's Cowboys. Soon after, he dropped out of high school to join Wolverton's Radio Band in St. Louis, Missouri on KMOX.
In the 1930s, Paul worked in Chicago, Illinois in radio, where he performed jazz music. Paul's first two records were released in 1936. One album was credited to Rhubarb Red, Paul's hillbilly alter ego, and the other was in the backing band for blues artist Georgia White.
Les Paul's 'The Log', one of the first solidbody electric guitars.Paul was unsatisfied by the electric guitars that were sold in the mid 1930s and began experimenting with a few designs of his own. Famously, he created The Log which was nothing more than a length of common "4 by 4" fence post with bridge, guitar neck, and pickup attached. For appearances he attached the body of an Epiphone jazz guitar, sawn lengthwise with The Log in the middle. This solved his two main problems - feedback, as the acoustic body no longer resonated with the amplified sound, and sustain, as the energy of the strings was not dissipated in generating sound through the guitar body.
In 1938, Paul moved to New York and landed a featured spot with Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians radio show. Paul moved to Hollywood in 1943, where he formed a new trio. As a last-minute replacement for Oscar Moore, Paul played with Nat King Cole and other artists in the inaugural Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in Los Angeles on July 2, 1944. Also that year, Paul's trio appeared on Bing Crosby's radio show. Crosby went on to sponsor Paul's recording experiments. The two also recorded together several times, including a 1945 number one hit, "It's Been a Long, Long Time." In addition to backing Crosby and artists like the Andrews Sisters, Paul's trio also recorded a few albums of their own in the late 1940s.
In 1941, Paul designed and built one of the first solid-body electric guitars (though Leo Fender also independently invented his own solid-body electric guitar around the same time, and Adolph Rickenbacker had marketed a solid-body guitar in the 30s). Gibson Guitar Corporation designed a guitar incorporating Paul's suggestions in the early fifties, and presented it to him to try. He was impressed enough to sign a contract for what became the "Les Paul" model (originally only in a "gold top" version), and agreed never to be seen playing in public, or photographed with, anything other than a Gibson guitar. That persisted until 1961, when Gibson changed the design without Paul's knowledge. He said he first saw the "new" Gibson Les Paul in a music store window, and disliked it. Though contract required him to pose with the guitar, he said it was not "his" instrument, and asked Gibson to remove his name from the headstock. Gibson renamed the guitar the " SG", and it also became one of the company's best sellers. Later, Paul resumed his relationship with Gibson, and endorses the instrument even today (though his personal Gibson Les Pauls are much modified by him - Paul always uses his own self-wound pickups on his guitars). To this day, the Gibson Les Paul guitar is used all over the world, both by novice and professional guitarists.
In 1947, Capitol Records released a recording that had begun as an experiment in Paul's garage, entitled "Lover (When You're Near Me)", which featured Paul playing eight different parts on electric guitar, some of them recorded at half-speed, hence "double-fast" when played back at normal speed for the master. This was the first time that multi-tracking had been used in a recording. Amazingly, these recordings were made, not with magnetic tape, but with wax disks. Paul would record a track onto a disk, then record himself playing another part with the first. He built the multi-track recording with overlaid tracks, rather than parallel ones as he did later. There is no record of how few 'takes' were needed before he was satisfied with one layer and moved onto the next.
Paul even built his own wax-cutter assembly, based on auto parts. He favored the flywheel from a Cadillac for its weight and flatness. Even in these early days, he used the wax disk setup to record parts at different speeds and with delay, resulting in his signature sound with echoes and birdsong-like guitar riffs. When he later began using magnetic tape, the major change was that he could take his recording rig on tour with him, even making episodes for his 15-minute radio show in his hotel room.
Paul was injured in a near-fatal automobile accident in January 1948 in Oklahoma, which shattered his right arm and elbow. Paul spent a year and a half recovering. Paul instructed the surgeons to set his arm at an angle that would allow him to cradle and pick the guitar.
In the early 1950s, Paul made a number of revolutionary recordings with wife, Mary Ford. These records were unique for their heavy use of overdubbing, which was technically impossible before Paul's invention of multitrack recording. Paul's multitracking system was made possible by the introduction of reel-to-reel audio tape recording, developed by Jack Mullin and the Ampex company in the late 1940s, with the backing of radio, film and recording star Bing Crosby.
Crosby gave Les Paul what was only the second of the now-famous Ampex Model 200 recorder, which was the world's first commercially-produced reel-to-reel tape recorder. Using this machine, Paul developed his tape multitrack system by adding an additional recording head and extra circuitry, allowing multiple tracks to be recorded separately and asynchronously on the same tape. Paul's invention was quickly developed by Ampex into commercially-produced two-track and three-track recorders, and these machines were the backbone of the professional recording studio, radio and TV industry in the 1950s and early 1960s.
In 1954 Paul, continued to develop this technology, by commissioning Ampex to build the first eight track tape recorder, at his expense. His idea, later known as "Sel-Sync," in which a specially-modified recording head could simultaneously record a new track and play back previously recorded ones, was the core technology for multi-track recording for the next thirty years.
During his early radio shows, Paul introduced the mythical "Les Paulverizer" device, which was supposed to multiply anything fed into it, like a guitar sound or a voice. This even became the subject of comedy, with Mary Ford multiplying herself and her vacuum cleaner with it so she could finish the housework faster (a typical joke in the pre-feminist era). Later Paul made the myth real for his stage show, using hidden equipment which over the years has become smaller and more visible. Currently he uses a small box attached to his guitar - it is not known how much of the device remains off-stage. He typically lays down one track after another on stage, in-sync, and then plays over the repeating forms he has recorded. With newer digital sound technology, such an effect is available commercially.
In the late 1960s, Paul went into semi-retirement, although he did return to the studio occasionally. He recorded an album Lester and Chester with Chet Atkins. He and Mary Ford (born Iris Colleen Summers) divorced amicably in December 1964, as she could no longer tolerate the itinerant lifestyle their act required of them.
In 1978, Les Paul and Mary Ford were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. He received a Grammy Trustees Award for his lifetime achievements in 1983. In 1988, Paul was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Jeff Beck, who said, "I've copied more licks from Les Paul than I'd like to admit." Les Paul was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in May 2005 for his development of the solid-body electric guitar.
As of 2006, At the age of 90, Les Paul won two Grammys at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards for his album Les Paul & Friends: American Made World Played. He also performs weekly at the Iridium Jazz Club on Broadway in New York City, despite the arthritis that has stilled all but two of the fingers on his left hand.
Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Paul
I
Les Paul Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Simply because you're near me.
Funny, but when you're near me
I'm in the mood for love.
Heaven is in your eyes
Bright as the stars we're under
Oh! Is it any wonder
Why stop to think of whether
This little dream might fade?
We've put our hearts together
Now we are one, I'm not afraid!
If there's a cloud above
If it should rain we'll let it
But for tonight, forget it!
I'm in the mood for love
The first verse of the song, "I'm in the mood for love, simply because you're near me" sets the tone for the entire song. The songwriter is expressing how much they are madly in love with their partner, and the mere presence of their partner is enough to stir up strong emotions within them. The second verse, "Heaven is in your eyes, bright as the stars we're under" implies that the partner's eyes are the doorway to their soul, and when the songwriter looks into their eyes, they are in a state of pure bliss. The song's chorus, "Oh! Is it any wonder, I'm in the mood for love?" summarises the entire mood of the song, and how the writer is always in the mood for love when their partner is there.
The third verse, "Why stop to think of whether, this little dream might fade?", highlights the fact that the songwriter is fully committed to their partner, and they want to enjoy every moment they have together without worrying about the future. They then proceed to say "we've put our hearts together, now we are one, I'm not afraid!", reiterating their level of commitment and lack of fear to lose their partner. The fourth and final verse, "If there's a cloud above, if it should rain we'll let it, but for tonight, forget it! I'm in the mood for love," further reinforces their commitment, saying that they are willing to weather any storm that comes their way, but for the present moment, they just want to enjoy their partner's love.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm in the mood for love
I'm feeling romantic, passionate and desirous of love.
Simply because you're near me.
Your mere presence arouses my feelings of love, making me long for you more.
Funny, but when you're near me
It's surprising how intense and overpowering my feelings of love become when I'm in your proximity.
I'm in the mood for love.
Being close to you always puts me in the state of mind to desire and embrace love.
Heaven is in your eyes
Your eyes are so beautiful and captivating that looking into them feels like being transported to paradise.
Bright as the stars we're under
The brightness and intensity of your eyes remind me of the sparkling stars shining above us.
Oh! Is it any wonder
It's no surprise at all that my emotions are heightened and my heart is full of love in the presence of such beauty.
I'm in the mood for love?
The intense desire for romance and affection is being fueled by your captivating gaze.
Why stop to think of whether
There's no need for us to hesitate or second-guess this feeling of love.
This little dream might fade?
We should not concern ourselves with the possibility of our love being temporary, rather we should embrace it fully.
We've put our hearts together
We have formed a strong and genuine connection with each other, built on a foundation of mutual affection and respect.
Now we are one, I'm not afraid!
We've merged our hearts, and I'm not afraid of anything because I'm confident in the strength and security of our love.
If there's a cloud above
If there are any obstacles or challenges that we may face together.
If it should rain we'll let it
We'll face any challenges or negativity head-on, without fear, and endure them together as a couple.
But for tonight, forget it!
We should focus on this moment of being together and celebrating our love, not worrying about any obstacles we may face in the future.
I'm in the mood for love
My feelings are overwhelming me with love, passion, and joy.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jimmy Mchugh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@IAm-qf2xb
Mary wanted more but she settled for Les.
@ztahs
Oh, that was totally unnecessary! A good one never the less
@jirusjirus9322
Just absolutely funny.
Traveled to New York to see Les when he was 89...a real treat, thanks to two wonderful Jeff Beck fans.
@mikefrech1123
@Greg Gregory There's something wrong with you. Get help.
@thatunicornhastheaudacity
@@jefflindeman no just report them.
@kychu749
A pun
@jimvandemoter6961
I saw Les and Mary on the Ed Sullivan Show just before Christmas, 1960. I started nagging my parents to let me take guitar lessons. Six months later in June 1961 I had my first guitar lesson on my 9th birthday. Since that time I joined my first band, played my first gig in 1965, played professionally for ten years starting in 1966, went on to major in music in college and taught for over 25 years. I'm now 68 and I still play. Not as much as I used to, but I still pick it up a few times a week. All thanks to Les, Mary and two of the greatest parents ever.
@bartvansliedregt5482
Thank you for telling this short but sweet and inspiring story!
@gui18bif
Lovely story
@TemjaSverd
Is there any way I can listen to your music??