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 Can
Les Paul Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've settled revolutions in Spain
And the North Pole I have charted
Still I can't get started with you
On the golf course, I'm under par
Metro Goldwyn have asked me to star
I've got a house, a showplace
'Cause you're so supreme
Lyrics I write of you, I dream
Dream day and night of you
And I scheme just for the sight of you
Baby, what good does it do?
I've been consulted by Franklin D
Greta Garbo has had me to tea
Still I'm broken-hearted
'Cause I can't get started with you
In Les Paul's song "I Can," the singer describes all of the amazing accomplishments he has achieved in his life, including flying around the world in a plane and settling revolutions in Spain. However, despite all of his success, he still can't seem to start a relationship with the person he desires. He describes how even on the golf course where he is under par and how he has been asked to star in movies by Metro Goldwyn, but none of these successes can match up to the feeling of not being able to connect with the person he loves. The singer is so infatuated with this person that he dreams and schemes about them day and night, but still can't seem to get any closer to them.
The singer's experiences in "I Can" serve as a metaphor for the struggles of trying to connect with someone intimately. Despite achieving great success in other areas of life, romantic love can still be elusive and difficult to obtain. The singer's fixation on this one person and his inability to start a relationship with them becomes a central theme in the song.
Overall, "I Can" is a melancholy ballad that speaks to the heartache and frustration of unrequited love. The singer's desire for love is so strong that it becomes the one thing that he can't seem to achieve, no matter how much he achieves in other areas of life.
Line by Line Meaning
I've flown around the world in a plane
I have traveled extensively, seen much of the world, and experienced many forms of transportation, but none of it has distracted me from my love for you.
I've settled revolutions in Spain
I have been involved in important political events and made a difference in the world, yet my personal life remains unfulfilled without you.
And the North Pole I have charted
I have accomplished extraordinary feats of exploration and discovery, but even this pales in comparison to my desire for you.
Still I can't get started with you
Despite all of my accomplishments and experiences, I find myself unable to begin a meaningful relationship with you.
On the golf course, I'm under par
I excel at sports and have a competitive spirit, but my greatest challenge is winning your heart.
Metro Goldwyn have asked me to star
I have been recognized for my abilities as an actor and been offered the opportunity to achieve major stardom, yet I remain unfulfilled without your love.
I've got a house, a showplace
I have a beautiful and impressive home, yet it feels empty without you to share it with.
Still I can't get no place with you
Despite all of my material possessions, I feel lost and incomplete without your love and companionship.
'Cause you're so supreme
Your beauty and perfection leave me in awe, and I am completely devoted to you.
Lyrics I write of you, I dream
My dreams are consumed with thoughts of you, and I find myself constantly inspired to write about my love for you.
Dream day and night of you
My deepest desires and hopes all revolve around you, and I cannot escape the constant yearning for your love.
And I scheme just for the sight of you
I am willing to take risks and go to great lengths just to be in your presence and catch a glimpse of your beauty.
Baby, what good does it do?
Despite my best efforts and deep devotion, my love for you remains unfulfilled and I am left with a sense of despair and hopelessness.
I've been consulted by Franklin D
I have been recognized for my intelligence and expertise, even by presidents and other influential leaders, yet I still cannot win your heart.
Greta Garbo has had me to tea
I have been in the company of Hollywood's biggest stars, but none of them can compare to the love and affection I feel for you.
Still I'm broken-hearted
Despite all of my accomplishments and experiences, I am filled with sorrow and pain because I cannot be with the one I love.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, Vernon Duke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kunsh Sood
Can you make this a series? I would love to see Strat and tele.
Robert Baker
Yep I'm thinking it might be :)
Mr. Algebro
He can't do it with Tele because there are no valid reasons to not buy one...
Pedro Slick
@Mr. Algebro hum... it's impossible to change from bridge to neck on a telecaster if your in the middle of a song in a quick change 😂 just kidding you can! But it's not that easy !
Simple Man Guitars
@Mr. Algebro That's what I was gonna say. You'd have an easier time making a video called "Why you don't need ANOTHER Tele" but even that would be a hard case to make. LOL!
Kipperbob Sam
@Pedro Slick you can make it easier, fit a switch from a Les Paul on it. Another thing that makes the Telecaster the most versatile is the ease of modification, with split humbuckers it can get from the twangiest of cleans to the heaviest of overdriven distortion in seconds. Plus the Telecaster is the toughest best stayin in tune guitar I've ever laid hands on,
Gary Novak
I've been thru almost 100 guitars over my 30 years of playing, they were cool but mostly just tools to get the job done. Then I got my 2019 Gibson Les Paul Traditional. I now have an indescribable bond with this beautiful guitar. It's not the most versatile, it's not the most comfortable, and it certainly wasn't the cheapest, but the way it makes me feel while playing makes it worth every penny I paid.
Steve B
That's all that matters brother! It's irrelevant what anyone says if you're happy with your AXE nothing else matters! Play on!
Clarksville TN Landscaping Services
Your comment sure makes me feel good that I nailed it first round. I bought the same guitar, my first LP about a year ago. They are unique but really what I call the holy grail.
Hawker35
Same...playing also 30 years and an American Strat for the most part. Just got a LP Standard. Love the sustain and the growl I can get from it. The most surprising thing was the awesome clean sounds. I was not expecting that. I use a POD GO and an FR speaker now so that really helps with the sound versatility.