In Memory of Les

It's tragic that we've lost a lot of talented and good people this summer. Last June, actress Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, The King of Pop, passed away. Then, a couple weeks ago, John Hughes (Director of Home Alone and The Breakfast Club) and Corazon Aquino, The Mother of Philippine Democracy, died as well. But just when I thought that the chain reaction of "death of important people" have already came to a halt, news of Lester Polsfuss's death hits me...and hits me like a battering ram.

The Man who brought us the solid-body electric guitar.

More popularly known as Les Paul, his death is a tremendous loss for guitar players and the music industry. To the unfamiliar, the man may not seem to be as important as Michael Jackson. But, trust me, he is bigger than MJ. After all, he is the guy who invented the first solid-body electric guitar, the instrument that gave birth to rock music. His guitar design -which is named after him- had been the choice of guitarists throughout generations, like Jimmy Page, Joe Perry and Slash (and me, of course). Moreover, He was also an innovator in music recording, having tinkered with techniques like overdubbing, delays and multi-track recording.

The Gibson Les Paul

While he's not known by many, there's no doubt that Les Paul had contributed many things into the plate of music. In my opinion, and in no way I'm disrespecting, he even brought more than Elvis or Michael did. So the guy deserves a big memorial too. But, I guess, he doesn't really need one. I mean, his name is forever immortalized into every Gibson Les Paul guitar. As long as somebody picks up a Les Paul, plays it, and becomes a great guitarist, Lester's legend will continue on.

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