'My Les Paul Story' by Tony Visconti

[Triana]

Les Paul passed away yesterday at 94 years of age. "Good Innings," as my British friends would say. His influence on the way music is still being made is almost a sci-fi story. He invented the electric guitar, the multi-track recorder and finessed the art of one person overdubbing many parts. From the loftiest music artist to the eager beginner in their bedroom on a laptop, Les Paul has affected us all. If you don't know who he is and what he's done Google his revered name.

When I was vice-chairperson of NARAS about a decade ago, I met Les in a professional situation, at Mix Magazines Tech awards. I was there to hand out an award. We were at the rehearsal where I had a surreal conversation with Les Paul and Jimmy Douglass, an old recording engineer friend who became an urban music icon. Les asked Jimmy what he did and Jimmy explained that he recorded mostly Hip Hop music. Les, sly old fox, pretended he didn't know what that was. Jimmy was immediately caught off guard and started to search for the right words, but everyone of them was challenged by Les. "Wrap? What do you mean, do you wrap the music up in something? Loop? What's a loop?" This was an hysterical conversation with even me trying to explain the terms. Of course, Les was playing with us. He was our Gandalf and we were his little Hobbits.

But that was not my Les Paul story.


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