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
Sleep
Les Paul Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How we love to sleep
At the close of day
When the joys of the day fade away and the memories sweet
Of the day repeat
In our dreams they creep
While we sleep, sleep, sleep
It seems that daytime was just made for laughter and song
Night time brings rest to the weary
Sooths all the hearts that are dreary
Leaves us alone with our day dreams
Brings back sweet golden love dreams while we sleep, sleep, sleep
How we love to sleep
At the close of day
When the joys of the day fade away and the memories sweet
Of the day repeat
In our dreams they creep
The lyrics of Les Paul's "Sleep" are a poetic tribute to the restorative power of sleep. The song opens with a repetition of the word "sleep," highlighting the importance that the singer places on this act of rest. The following lines establish the transition from day to night, with the memories of the day replaying in the singer's dreams. The nostalgic tone of the lyrics reflects the way that sleep can heal us, allowing us to let go of the past and prepare for the future.
The second verse of the song focuses on the different emotions that each time of day brings. Daytime is associated with laughter and song, while evening is romantic and night time brings a sense of peace and rest. The contrast between the lively energy of the day and the serenity of the night sets up the importance of sleep in helping us transition from one state of mind to the next. The final lines of the song suggest that sleep is able to bring us back to our day dreams and the joys of the past.
Overall, "Sleep" can be seen as a song of comfort, reminding us of the power of sleep to heal and rejuvenate us. The lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing, reinforcing the idea that the restorative power of sleep can help us to find peace in a busy and complex world.
Line by Line Meaning
Sleep, sleep, sleep
Reinforcing the theme of sleep and setting the tone for the rest of the song
How we love to sleep
Expressing a universal appreciation and desire for sleep
At the close of day
Highlighting that sleep usually occurs at the end of the day
When the joys of the day fade away and the memories sweet
Acknowledging that sleep is a time to reflect on the highlights of the day and bask in their pleasant memories
Of the day repeat
Suggesting that these memories become recurring themes in our dreams
In our dreams they creep
Expanding on the idea that our daily joys and memories seep into our sleeping minds
While we sleep, sleep, sleep
Reiterating the focus on sleep as the central theme
It seems that daytime was just made for laughter and song
Acknowledging the joys and frivolity that accompany daytime activities
Evening brings romance to lovers as they stroll along
Contrasting daytime's levity with evening's romantic and intimate atmosphere
Night time brings rest to the weary
Highlighting the tranquilizing and rejuvenating effects of sleep, particularly after a long day
Sooths all the hearts that are dreary
Implying that sleep has a therapeutic and soothing quality, bringing comfort to those who may feel down or overwhelmed
Leaves us alone with our day dreams
Emphasizing the contextual continuity between our daily and sleeping experiences
Brings back sweet golden love dreams while we sleep, sleep, sleep
Alluding to the idyllic and romantic imagery that may unfold in our dreams
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Stephen Fretwell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gary McCullah
What makes this performance even more remarkable is that Les had severe arthritis in his fingers. He still played better than most guitarists in the world.
Walter Michelbook
Amazing stuff.
Michael Korn
From what I know playing the guitar actually helps with arthritis and most artists played with arthritis when they became old amd could play the same way because they didn't put too much pressure while playing and just had fun
bob marker
Incredible cover of this song! No less played by the master. R.I.P. LES, The world's a better place, thanks to you.
Jo Kidd
Beautiful playing from a great!
Владимир Агеев
He was a Guitar Genius!!! When I listen his playing, I no hear nothing all around...
Tadeo de Wiesent
¡¡Brillante!!
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷
Jimmy James
Growing up around and playing guitar I always thought Les Paul was just a legend. Lately I've been understanding why (besides a prototype humbucker)
Carl_Anderson
0:43 that swept arpeggio was sweeter than honey!
Mountain Star Temple
@James Stewart well not quite sweep picking notes but more sweep muted notes ... I kind of like this old skool thing of not being so precise .... it;s more percussive than accurate!