R.I.P. Les Paul

Les Paul certainly won't be getting the malestorm of press coverage we saw just a month ago with MJ's death, but that shouldn't deter the public from seeing what a steadfast innovator he was. Les may be best known for his signature guitar model, popularized by the likes of Jimmy Page and Pete Townshend, but it was his recording innovations that really impacted the music industry. Les invented, recorded, and released the first multi-track recording ever, meaning one could record multiple instruments or multiple layers of one instrument in a layering fashion. He also simultaneous experimented with tape loops, pitch shifting, and sound design. Popular music as we know it could not exist without this function. Below is my favorite Les Paul & Mary Ford (his wife and songwriting partner) song. Take note of the sweeping arpeggios during his solo...add that to the inovations list...