Les Paul: In His Own Words

by Les Paul, Michael Cochran

At thirteen, he took the tone arm from his father's phonograph, jammed the heavy needle into the top of his five-dollar guitar, and filled it with Plaster of Paris to quell feedback. The guitar didn't survive, but his idea worked, essentially creating the first solid-body electric guitar. Les Paul went on to alter guitars in his quest to create the perfect sound, making one breakthrough after another along the way. Nonstop experiments in his homemade recording studio led to the invention of sound-on-sound, multi-track recording, echo, and a host of other discoveries that revolutionized the recording industry, while he and wife Mary Ford dominated early 1950s pop charts with a continual string of hits. Taken together, the enduring influence of his unique contributions to recording technology, instrument design, and American popular music are unsurpassed. He truly is the man who changed the music, and now, Les Paul tells the whole story as only he could, in his own words.

Genres: Music

380 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Chenoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was a quote by Les Paul in the book that he thought most people remember the guitars but not likely remember the person. I have known about the guitars for quite some time but was unaware of the amazing person behind them. This book was well written in a conversational style and was such a fascinating story of his career. I went in thinking I flip through the book and ended up reading it cover to cover.

[jim]

Les Paul has always been known for being an incredible, revolutionary musician who had a deep passion in instruments and music in general. This book is a biography of his life, growing up as a popular blues musician, and also the inventor of one of the most iconic guitars today, the Les Paul.

As a guitar player myself, I had always known what a Les Paul was, who created it, and that it was simply the best of the best, musically speaking. I had only known of Les Paul's music and achievements for a few months until I found out that he died in 2009. This book is a really interesting read, not because of a fancy plot, vast vocabulary, or use of literary devices, but because his life was so interesting and so different that what any of us could imagine. His career as a musician, and then creating one of the most popular guitars on the market today is a surreal life, but it was one that he lived.

I think this book was really enlightening for me because I always saw famous musicians talk about the legendary sound of a Les Paul guitar, and for that matter, I play a Les Paul copy myself. Its a really interesting book that just takes you through the life of a man who's voice still influences us today and its a really great tribute to his successes in life. I only recommend this to people who actually appreciate him as a musician though, because surely it would be uninteresting to those who do not know who he is. Nevertheless, Les Paul deserves everyone's appreciation!

[Gonzalo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow...this is the bible! The inside history of the most important man in modern music history.