00:00Les Paul was a pioneering electric jazz guitarist as well as a technical innovator of the instrument.
00:09Paul was born Lester Williams Pulfus in Waheesha, Wisconsin in 1915. Paul achieved his greatest
00:21success as one half of the duo Les Paul and Mary Ford. In addition to his innovations to the guitar,
00:30Paul was a pioneer in the recording studio as well, and he is one of the first record producers
00:38to use overdubbing. Paul got his start in music in 1928 as a 13-year-old country singer. A few
00:49years later, he joined the Western Swing Band of Rube Tronson. Paul moved to Chicago in 1934
00:57and made recordings as an accompanist for blues singer Georgia White. At this point, Paul focused
01:07his efforts on jazz music, and in 1937 he formed the Les Paul Trio, which included Jim Akins,
01:17brother of guitarist Chet Akins on rhythm guitar. Paul served in World War II as part of the Armed
01:25Services Network, supporting performers such as Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters and performing
01:33solo. After returning from the war, Paul began performing with country performer Mary Ford,
01:40with whom he married in 1949. As a duo, Les Paul and Mary Ford recorded some of the most
01:51innovative pop hits of the 1950s, including How High the Moon, Bye Bye Blues, and Vaya Con Dios.
02:01These hits featured superb vocals by Ford, and often groundbreaking guitar soloing from Paul.
02:10In 1962, touring was beginning to take its toll on Paul and Ford, and they dissolved their marriage
02:22and musical partnership. Paul went into semi-retirement in 1965, but continued performing
02:30up until his death at the age of 93 in 2009. Paul's best recorded work can be found on the
02:40following albums, The Legend and the Legacy from 1991, and 20th Century Masters The Millennium
02:49Collection The Best of Les Paul from 2001.
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