Les Paul Documentary Marks Anniversary of the Guitar Great’s Passing
One year ago today, Les Paul, the father of the electric guitar, passed away at age 94. He’s not forgotten: The New York jazz club Iridium — where Paul had weekly performances — continues to host tribute nights once a week. And on August 26th, CNN International will pay tribute to Paul with the documentary Les Paul: the Original Guitar Hero. The program will focus on his contributions to rock & roll through interviews with Paul McCartney, Slash and ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons. “Les was the great innovator, the great experimenter,” McCartney said in a statement.
Revisit Rolling Stone’s Les Paul coverage in our archives:
•Les Paul in his own words: Hear his last Rolling Stone interview.
•Les Paul in RS‘s list of the Greatest Guitarists of All Time
•David Fricke on Jeff Beck’s scorching Les Paul tribute show.
•Les Paul: Revisit the guitar great’s life in photos.
•Gibson’s CEO remembers Les Paul, “The Father of the Modern Guitar.”
•Les Paul remembered: Guitar greats on their true hero.