It was announced yesterday that Les Paul died last Thursday.  If you
had to sum up what Les was in one word, that word is innovator.  He not
only created music, he created instruments (although it is not
absolutely certain that he was the first to create a solid body
electric guitar, he was at least one of the first persons to do so; and the iconic Les Paul guitar, although what his contributions to that were are somewhat disputed) 
and ways to record them (multitracking, overdubbing and electronic
effects).  It is no stretch at all to say that Les created the template
for music as it has existed since the mid 20th century.

Les had an interesting take on why he became an inventor:  “Honestly, I
never strove to be an Edison. The only reason I invented these things
was
because I didn’t have them and neither did anyone else. I had no
choice, really.”

The clip today will give you a look at what Les did and how he did it. 
It also includes a Les Paul and Mary Ford hit, How High the Moon.  I
picked this song because it always seemed to be coming out of the
kitchen radio when I was in elementary school.

For more information on the life of Les Paul, check out this obituary in The New York Times or the article on him in Wikipedia.

–Eliot Wagner