I read today that Les Paul's house was destroyed. His son, Gene, released a statement that really put into perspective what that space represented:

"That house wasn't just where Les Paul lived. It was his workshop. It was his laboratory. It was his journey of dreams. So much happened there.

This was where my father experimented endlessly with his guitars and electronics. It was where the first 8-track multitrack recorder that fundamentally changed modern recording was put to work, along with the first console used with it. It was a place where ideas were tried, rejected, rebuilt and tried again."

That statement shows just how important all these elements were for his genius to come together. It highlights how incremental technology developments, combined with sheer hard work and persistence, paved the way for the bands of the 1960s to develop rock music.

Most people know Les Paul from the Gibson guitar. But that instrument essentially came about through a frustration in sound, his search to eliminate feedback and create solid sustain. It ultimately produced those iconic images of bands playing their "cherry red" Gibsons. You really can't imagine the classic rock pose without it.

When I was going through the 1940s for this blog, I found a track by him from 1948 called "Lover."

Lover by Les Paul

For me, you can hear him desperately trying to innovate with sound, but you can also hear the technology holding him back. Because tape recorders weren't standard yet, he had to overlay eight separate electric guitar parts onto fragile acetate discs. He even recorded parts at half-speed so they would play back at a dizzying, fast pace. He went through nearly 500 ruined discs before he got it right, prompting comedian W.C. Fields to famously tell him, "My boy, you sound like an octopus."

In terms of innovation, his contribution desperately needs to be celebrated. I think for 1948 as well, "Lover" is a brilliant track. Les Paul remains the only person inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the National Inventors Hall of Fame. His relentless studio tinkering changed the trajectory of modern music forever.