LES PAUL, the inventor of the solid body electric guitar, is dead. He died on August 13, 2009. He was 90.

This extraordinary musician left an immense legacy to Rock & Roll which wouldn’t be what it is – powerful, loud, twanging – hadn’t it been for him and his electric guitar. He developed a reputation for being an accomplished Jazz guitarist and Pop musician and recorded many hits in the late forties and in the fifties, such as “HOW HIGH THE MOON”.

He was an acclaimed music pioneer and inventor of modern studio techniques and special effects, particularly by experimenting what will later be known as “overdubbing”. And so, as early as in 1948, Capitol Records released a recording entitled “LOVER (WHEN YOU’RE NEAR ME)” which featured LES PAUL playing eight different parts on electric guitar – a futuristic performance and a hit which led the label to sign him for several albums. (see “Spiegel” of 13.08.09).
“20 UNFORGETTABLE HITS” is a CD which delivers hits from the Capitol albums.