Les Paul: Guitar Innovator Who Gave His Name to the Gibson Les Paul Dies

Les Paul was an American guitarist, inventor and recording pioneer. Born Lester William Polsfuss on June 9, 1915, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, he began playing guitar as a boy.

He developed one of the first solid-body electric guitars, leading to the Gibson Les Paul, and pioneered multitrack recording and overdubbing. With his wife, Mary Ford, he had hits such as "How High the Moon" and "Vaya Con Dios" in the early 1950s.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and won Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement award. He kept performing weekly at a New York club until his 90s. Paul died of pneumonia complications in White Plains, New York, on August 12, 2009, at age 94.

Achievements: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1988), Grammy Awards, inventor of the solid-body guitar.

Birth: June 9, 1915 - Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Profession: Guitarist and inventor.

Interesting Facts: He is credited with developing multitrack recording.