Les Paul

Les Paul died today.

I wouldn't be surprised if more people know that Jimmy Page played a Gibson "Les Paul" than actually knew who Les Paul was or why he was important.

He was not only a talented guitarist who could play a number of different styles with equal proficiency. More importantly, he was the primary inventor of the solid body electric guitar as well as a pioneer in the development of modern recording techniques such as overdubbing, tape delay and multi track recording. If he hadn't come along, somebody else would have invented at least some of these things, but the fact remains that he was there first and without his work, rock and roll wouldn't exist in the form we know it today.

And yet...I wonder just how many music fans realized the significance of his passing. It's ironic: we live in the information age. We are bombarded by more date and images than any generation in history and yet so many of us are woefully ignorant of cultural history.

A couple of years back I was talking to a young man who wanted to pursue a career in the music industry. His ultimate goal was to own his own recording label. I took his boasts of music knowledge at face value and assume he more than just the last few years of recording artist. Then one day I happened to mention Duke Ellington and I noticed his blank stare. I paused in whatever I was saying and asked "Duke Ellington? You do know who Duke Ellington is, don't you?"

He stammered for a moment and replied "uh, I think I've heard the name, maybe."

Now, I might not expect someone to be able to quote all of Ellington's works, but someone who is interested in music should at least have some familiarity with him legacy. I can think of only a few other American composers who could be argued to be equally impotrant. Ellington is part of our cultural legacy, just as is Les Paul.

This internet could be a really wonderful tool. Perhaps it's time we started using it for something other than downloading the latest pictures of Lindsy Lohan.