Gibson’s Les Paul Tribute: A Look Back At Les

NOTE: American Songwriter will be giving away tickets to the Les Paul Tribute Concert at the Ryman Auditorium on Thursday November 19th; go to http://www.americansongspace.com/contest/lespaul for your chance to win. Contest ends Nov. 12.

November 5

The late Les Paul is primarily known for his innovation to the instrument that would eventually bear his name. As Nashville gets ready for the Les Paul Tribute Concert at The Ryman Auditorium November 19, American Songwriter would like to take a moment and focus on the music Les Paul made before his signature Gibson Guitar made him a household name. Before the solid body guitar, before the multi-track recording- before he was anything but the affable, almost goofy performer many still remember.

Throughout his 50-plus year career, Paul wrote and recorded hundreds of songs. His most successful was “How High the Moon,” a remake of a Benny Goodman song originally released for the play Two For The Show. Les Paul and his singing partner, Mary Ford, released their version on Jan. 4, 1951 (a year before the debut of the Gibson Les Paul guitar). The track dates back to the beginning of the Paul/Ford singing duo and could almost be seen as foreshadowing to their future as husband and wife; Ford sings: “There is no moon above/ When love is far away too/ Till it comes true/ How high the moon.” The record spent 25 weeks on the charts- nine of those at number on- and included “Walkin’ and Whistlin’ Blues” as a B side.

Two years later, Paul and Ford would again see the top of the charts with “Vaya Con Dios,” or “Go With God.” Like “How High The Moon,” “Vaya Con Dios” would go on to live in infamy and be recorded by a diverse catalog of artists, including Nat King Cole, Desi Arnaz and Julio Iglesias. Paul and Ford’s 1953 version lasted thirty-one weeks on the charts; the song reached its’ peak on August 8, 1953 and remained there for the next nine weeks.

To stream these and more tracks from Les Paul and Mary Ford, American Songwriter Magazine recommends heading over to www.archive.org.

To enter to win tickets to the Les Paul Tribute Concert at the Ryman Auditorium, courtesy of American Songwriter Magazine, click here: http://www.americansongspace.com/contest/lespaul

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November 3

While many people mourned his death on Aug. 12 from complications of pneumonia, many more will choose to remember the extraordinary life of Les Paul.

Some will recognize the name from the eponymous guitar bearing his moniker, while others will know Paul for his innovation to the recording process- most famously for his multi-track recording method. And still others will recall Les Paul, the consummate performer and gentleman who remained a fixture on the stage to the very end.

On November 19, fans young and old will pay tribute to one of music’s greatest icons during the Les Paul Tribute Concert at the Ryman Auditorium here in Nashville. Those present will be in for a special evening as the late guitarist’s son, Russ Paul, Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO Henry Juskiewicz and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum President Terry Stewart host a line-up headlined by Paul’s godson, Steve Miller. Also set to perform are: Joan Jett, Zakk Wylde, Ace Frehley, Jennifer Batten, Charlie Daniels, John Rich and many other notables from in and around the Nashville area.

“Many years ago Les told me the story of when he was taken to the Ryman Auditorium with his grandmother. He was extremely proud of the fact that she would not leave until he had a chance to play on that historic stage and based on Les Paul’s recollection was quite successful in achieving just that,” said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. “The show at the Ryman will be a celebration of Les’ life through music, storytelling and some very unique video elements. It will serve as a fitting tribute to a man who touched many lives during his 94 years.”

The man born Lester William Polfuss was much more what this generation will remember; a performer in his own right, Paul wrote and recorded hundreds of singles including “Good Night Irene,” “It’s Been A Long Long Time” and a re-worked version of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” – a song that will be re-interpreted by Jazz artist Sarah Partridge during the tribute November 19.

American Songwriter will be giving away tickets to the Les Paul Tribute Concert at the Ryman Auditorium on Thursday November 19th; go to http://www.americansongspace.com/contest/lespaul for your chance to win. Contest ends Nov. 12.

To view American Songwriter Magazine’s last interview with Les Paul, click on the following link: https://americansongwriter.com/2009/01/les-paul-still-changing-songs/

THE LES PAUL TRIBUTE AT THE HISTORIC RYMAN AUDITORIUM IN NASHVILLE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Free Concert For Fans Co-Sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company and Hard Rock Will Give Guests A Journey Through Les Paul’s Life Through Storytelling, Musical Performances and Exclusive Video Clips.

Where: Ryman Auditorium
116 Fifth Avenue North
Nashville, Tennessee, 37219

When: Doors for the event will open at 7:00pm and the concert will begin 8:00pm.

Gibson Guitar, the world’s premier musical instrument manufacturer and home of the cherished Les Paul guitar model along with the Gibson Foundation announced today the availability of free tickets to their very special tribute to the late, great Les Paul to be held at the historic Ryman Auditorium, former home to the Grand Ole Opry, in Nashville on Thursday, November 19, 2009. The evening tribute concert is free and open to the many fans of Les Paul and Gibson Guitar. Les Paul, the innovator and inventor who passed away at 94 years old this past August was known throughout the world as the man who created multi-track recording and the father of the electric guitar. Many musicians pay homage to Les Paul and credit their careers and musicianship directly to him.