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
Running Wild
Les Paul Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm all by myself
I guess she thinks now that she's gone
I'll lay right on the shelf
I'm gonna show her she's all wrong
No lonesome stuff for mine
I won't sit home, all alone
She'll soon find that I'm
Runnin' wild, lost control
Runnin' wild, mighty bold
Feelin' gay, reckless too
Care free mind all the time, never blue
Always goin' don't know where
Always showin', I don't care
Don't love nobody, it's not worth while
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
When I first met that gal of mine
It seemed just like a dream
But when she tho't she had me right
She started actin' mean
Like mary led her little lamb
She led me all the time
Until the worm had to turn
That's the reason I'm
Runnin' wild, lost control
Runnin' wild, mighty bold
Feelin' gay, reckless too
Care free mind all the time, never blue
Always goin' don't know where
Always showin', I don't care
Don't love nobody, it's not worth while
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
No gal will ever make a fool of me
No gal! I mean just what I say
I ain't the simpleton I used to be
Wonder how I got that way
Once I was full of sentiment, it's true
But now I got a cruel heart
With all that other foolishness I'm through
Gonna play the Villain part
Runnin' wild, lost control
Runnin' wild, mighty bold
Feelin' gay, reckless too
Care free mind all the time, never blue
Always goin' don't know where
Always showin', I don't care
Don't love nobody, it's not worth while
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
The song "Running Wild" by Les Paul is a song about a man who is trying to show his girlfriend that she was wrong to leave him. The song begins with the man declaring that he won't be sitting home alone and that he will show his girlfriend that he is not going to be lonely. He then goes on to describe how he is "running wild" and feeling "mighty bold." He claims to be "feelin' gay, reckless too" and that he has a "care free mind all the time" and is "never blue." The man says that he is "always goin' but don't know where" and that he is "always showin', I don't care." He then declares that he "don't love nobody, it's not worth while" and that he is "all alone, runnin' wild."
The song then shifts to a reflection on the relationship between the man and his girlfriend. He recalls that when he first met her, it seemed like a dream, but when she thought she had him, she started acting mean. He compares her to Mary leading her little lamb, and says that she led him all the time until the worm had to turn. This is the reason he is now "runnin' wild."
Overall, the song is a classic example of the blues style, with its focus on relationship troubles and the feelings of loneliness and heartbreak that can come with them. It also showcases Les Paul's guitar playing skills, with the song featuring several impressive guitar solos and riffs.
Line by Line Meaning
My gal and I, we had a fight
My partner and I had an argument.
And I'm all by myself
I am currently alone.
I guess she thinks now that she's gone
Presumably, she believes that because she left, I will be inactive.
I'll lay right on the shelf
She thinks I will be incapacitated without her.
I'm gonna show her she's all wrong
I will demonstrate that her assumptions and beliefs are incorrect.
No lonesome stuff for mine
I have no desire to feel alone or be inactive.
I won't sit home, all alone
I will not remain alone in my dwelling.
She'll soon find that I'm
She will shortly realize that I am about to engage in something significant.
Runnin' wild, lost control
I am behaving in a carefree and uncontrolled manner, ignoring any boundaries.
Runnin' wild, mighty bold
I am exceptionally courageous in this situation.
Feelin' gay, reckless too
I am experiencing happy and reckless emotions in this moment.
Care free mind all the time, never blue
My thoughts are weightless and positive all the time, and I have no trace of sadness.
Always goin' don't know where
I am always on the go, without any specific endpoint in mind.
Always showin', I don't care
I always demonstrate that I am not concerned about anything.
Don't love nobody, it's not worth while
I don't have anything or anyone to love, as it is not worth the effort.
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
I am running wild for nobody except myself.
When I first met that gal of mine
From the beginning of our relationship, when I first met my partner.
It seemed just like a dream
The relationship appeared to be a fantasy.
But when she tho't she had me right
When she possessed a sense that she knew or had a hold on me.
She started actin' mean
Her behavior became hostile and unpleasant.
Like mary led her little lamb
Similar to Mary detailing her lamb's activities.
She led me all the time
My partner controlled me frequently.
Until the worm had to turn
Until I eventually had to make a change or take over the control.
That's the reason I'm
That is the explanation for why I am behaving recklessly.
No gal will ever make a fool of me
I will not be made a fool of by any woman.
No gal! I mean just what I say
I am serious about what I stated.
I ain't the simpleton I used to be
I am not as naive and unaware as I previously was.
Wonder how I got that way
I am curious how I became my present self.
Once I was full of sentiment, it's true
I was once full of tender feelings, and it is indeed the fact.
But now I got a cruel heart
My heart is now cruel and unkind.
With all that other foolishness I'm through
I am done with all the other foolishness.
Gonna play the Villain part
I will play the role of the villain.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ARTHUR GIBBS, ARTHUR HARRINGTON GIBBS, JOSEPH GREY, JOSEPH W GREY, LEO WOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Music Selection - Reload
Brilliant :) ms
Rodolfo de la Torre - MUSIC
what album is this from
Taylor Berrier
Blowing The Smoke Away From A Trail Of Hits is one of the few compilations that has this track. Les Paul and Mary Ford recordesd a lot of singles. So most albums you will find these days are compilations of those hits and singles. Blowing The Smoke Away from a Trail of Hits is by far my favorite of those, although it is missing one of my personal favorites, Bye Bye Blues, it includes a lot of dialogue from Les Paul and Mary Ford introducing each song, which makes it feel way more personal and in depth.