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Les Paul Biography
#1 · December 15, 2003, 12:24 pm
Posted by: khoffner <khoffner@...>
I love reading biographies, and just finished a bio from our library on Les
Paul (Lester Polsfuss). I'm not sure what to take away from his story. He
was an incredibly gifted guitarist and an innovator in overdubbing separate
tracks to make records, but he left a lot of heartache in his wake due to
his egotism, self-centeredness, and inability to balance his personal and
professional lives. He hit his peak (with his second wife Mary Ford) in the
mid 50s, but precipitously dropped from "favor" in the eyes of the
record-buying public due to the rise of rock and roll. One thing I really
admired from his story, was his determination to regain the ability to play
the guitar after his right arm was mangled in a car accident and literally
set in place with a 90 degree bend in the elbow. He and Chet Atkins did a
couple of records, but Les' huge ego alienated Chet. Chet said that he grew
up listening to (and copying) Les when Chet's older half brother, Jimmie
Atkins, was playing in a trio with Les Paul. Overall, it was an interesting
but somewhat sad story. There was no mention of spiritual matters in the
bio.
Paul (Lester Polsfuss). I'm not sure what to take away from his story. He
was an incredibly gifted guitarist and an innovator in overdubbing separate
tracks to make records, but he left a lot of heartache in his wake due to
his egotism, self-centeredness, and inability to balance his personal and
professional lives. He hit his peak (with his second wife Mary Ford) in the
mid 50s, but precipitously dropped from "favor" in the eyes of the
record-buying public due to the rise of rock and roll. One thing I really
admired from his story, was his determination to regain the ability to play
the guitar after his right arm was mangled in a car accident and literally
set in place with a 90 degree bend in the elbow. He and Chet Atkins did a
couple of records, but Les' huge ego alienated Chet. Chet said that he grew
up listening to (and copying) Les when Chet's older half brother, Jimmie
Atkins, was playing in a trio with Les Paul. Overall, it was an interesting
but somewhat sad story. There was no mention of spiritual matters in the
bio.
Although he didn't often give them credit, Les certainly had many "mentors"
who helped him along immensely in his guitar playing such as Sunny Joe
Wolverton. Do you all have any folks in your lives that "mentor" you as a
guitarist?
Ken Hoffner
Mt. Laurel, NJ USA