Les Paul dead at 84 nt.

He was 94. Sad news, a great talent.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/08/13/ST2009081301806.html

Saw him at the Iridium in early January. I was a bit skeptical at $50 a pop plus drink and food minimum but we were four feet from him right in front and he did a great show. Very funny and he could still kick it. Even called my wife doll face when he signed her CD.

A very talented and innovative man.

The word pioneer is overused but not in Les Paul's case.

A TRUE GIANT & a real gentleman.
May be gone, but his legacy will live forever.

Pulled out my '57 reissue and started playin'-The Sky Is Crying....God Bless and keep you.

Great man...Rest In Peace

Amazing. A true giant. No one defined the sound of rock better than Les and Leo Fender. Their signature sounds influenced millions of aspiring musicians.

R.I.P Les Paul. You were a true musician and genius.

Les Paul was a great guitarist and inventor but he was also an excellent entertainer. I saw him several times during his weekly gig at Fat Tuesday's in NYC and was always blown away by his sparkling on-stage personality. I always felt that he was delighted to have an audience and that he felt compelled to give them all he had. I always left the club happier than when I went in, which, for me is a sure sign of a master at work.

Grinnel and Siliab , Good to hear a story like yours, anyone else?

A few years back Les phoned a a.m. radio station up here in Canada,
I believe 740 on the dial, the station plays Big Band and Jazz.
The station host announced he had Les Paul on the phone and that Les agreed to a on the spot interview.

Good solid hour plus talk of his life and times...
Never had the opportunity to see him live though I have a few of his Lps.

Does anyone else at Audiogon think Les Paul and Mary Ford were about the classiest combo in the history of music?

I'm not going to wait for someone to say deed I do....
Deed I Do

Absolutely. Very beautiful riffs and multi-tracking--way ahead of his time.

Albert,Also one of the most talented guitar duos.

still another reminder of how much i am becoming a fan of jazz guitar, after so many years of praising rock guitarists. i still love R&Roll, but the almost insane ability to closely imitate jazz piano on just six strings drives me crazy (in a good way). LP was a great example of someone who could really really play, as i discovered recently watching a PBS special on his life and career. plus i loved watching him fiddle around with his ampex reel to reel...

This is from "The Vent" in my local Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper. It is a daily column where people vent their thoughts. It can be viewed online at AJC.com:

"Interesting: Les Paul, who had a thousand times more influence on music than Michael Jackson will be laid to rest quietly and with dignity. This is a comment on us, not the deceased."