Death of the Guitar Man: Les Paul (1915-2009)

In the popular mind, guitarist Les Paul existed for half a decade: the years 1950-54, when he and his vocalist-wife Mary Ford enjoyed 16 Top 10 hits, including "How High the Moon" (No. 1 for nine weeks) and "Vaya Con Dios" (No. 1 for 11 weeks)

By Richard Corliss Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009
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Guitarist Les Paul in 1941

In the 1950s, Les Paul and his wife Mary Ford scored 16 Top 10 hits with his perky guitar virtuosity and her caressing vocals. But Paul was also a crucial innovator. Virtually every rock guitarist stole licks from him and played them on his invention, the Les Paul Gibson. A trailblazing producer of electric sound, he pioneered overdubbing and multitrack recording. Les was more.