Total legend. I met Leo Fender once and couldn't get over the fact that I was looking at one of THE two guys (the other being Les). I kept thinking "I'm shaking the hand that, without which, there would BE no Buddy Holly, no James Burton, no Dick Dale, no Jeff Beck, no Jimi. THIS is the indispensable man." I'll never forget that. Got Les's autograph as well. They were giants.
Jupiter, Leo tried twice to get Les to join Fender & Les turned him down both times . Leo gave Les a Telecaster to try & see if he would endorse it but les had commitments to Gibson & though he took the Telecaster according to les he never played it. There is a photo of Les with that guitar. You are right ,if these two had not met & had the ideas for these iconic guitars Rock & Blues , Country & Jazz would still be far behind what we have today. Les & Leo remained friends but les never joined Fender . I to got to see & meet Les in 75 when he opened the local new music store in Rockville MD. Les had his Les Paulverizor to show off & that he did . As you say these were the two main ingredients in what we love about both guitars & all the variants that made rock history .
Every video I see there’s someone trying to give Mary credit as if she Never got recognition , Mary was the best at what she did there is no one that can compare To her , even till today . Les paul Chose her for the duo, She was singing in a trio at that time . And he was a solo guitarist at that time because he had left the Band he played for .
This is freaking priceless!!!... I'm almost 80 years old started playing guitar at 8 years old. When Les and Mary were on TV or radio, I told my dad, bet you they're using multiple tape recorders... My father being German just shook his head. Out of the mouth of babes LOL. Fantastic thanks for posting just happened to stumble onto this video.
Multi tracking then…I’ve played guitar since 11 yrs old…after hearing Beatles…I’m 67 now …Les was quite a guitarist…very quick..slap echo…An innovator….
Les Paul was a friend of my Elementary School Principal. He put on a demonstration to an auditorium full of schoolkids who were amazed that this "old guy" invented so many of the stuff their favorite bands were then using. This was around 1970 or so.
Les, Mary and the like found themselves at an impasse. Madison Ave was out to ride the new, postwar Rockwave, and artists found it hard to straddle two horses in the same music stream. You had the grab bag of Pop (mainstream popular music), and that tent had room for almost everyone and style. Along came "that music" from "those people" on that side of town (with all that "rockin' and rollin') and believe me, after WW II, younger Americans tolerated the Big Band era with their lead vocalists cutting deals with the record companies, and they went solo, but wanted to find their own voice. Genres of influence such as jazz, traditional uptempo blues, Texas swing an Rockabilly melded. Younger people loved the faster tempos, leaving mainstream styles for the older generation. Les was a walking prodigy, experimenting and creating ANYTHING he needed to get that sound. His was Pop music standards at his tempo and stylings. This old interview features a rigged apparatus for the humorous effect. Smart eyes will notice Les's careful usage of that right arm (the elbow crushed in a horrid auto accident). Like every true artistic genius, the art comes first. He had that elbow set so he could continue to play. That's dedication. Period.
To be a phenomenal guitarist and INVENT multi-track recording too is incredible talent. Let’s not overlook Mary’s unerring ability with harmonies too. My mother, now in her 80s, used to rave about Les Paul and Mary Ford and you have to say she is quite correct to do so.
Really they do the same thing that I am doing when I write music. The difference aside from style is that I use digital media on a PC not tape machines. Almost 100 years later the same basic techniques work. Sure, you can have a group of musicians playing the parts all at once and if they are all good it will go MUCH quicker but they all have to A) be used to playing together which takes years B) be familiar with the piece enough to do 1 or 2 takes well. Then there is the factor of having a them all in the same place at the same time with the equipment to make it happen. It is much less time consuming to just write like Les and Mary did. Now with direct lines and more consistent equipment you can almost eliminate all cross-talk and get a much cleaner product. Then there are the effects... and the other digital mixing techniques but it all comes down to getting the raw track down in time and with the correct tone and feel your looking for. Same thing just some of the same tools and some newer different tools. I will say though that when I have had great musicians and we all are here laying down tracks it is soooo much tighter. It is the small compensations we all make realtime which make it sound that way. You cannot do this track by track. You can get it perfect but it will sound mechanical.
@@evilstalkerhorne When Les Paul recorded How High the Moon in 1951 he was using an Ampex 300, 3 track tape machine. Tape machines have 3 heads. A record head, a playback head, and an erase head. The playback and record are obvious but the purpose of the erase head is that when you hit record it erases what was there before so you aren't recording on top of it. Well Les disabled the erase head so he could stack multiple layers on top of each other. This is known as sound on sound recording. The only downside is if you make a mistake you literally have to record the entire song again.
@Michael Jackson The Guilty Dead Pedophile Some how as always some so called "conservative" traitor towards our founding fathers ideals makes it about politics !!!
What an amazing man. He invents the electric guitar, plays better than most people can play even today, pioneers multi-track recordings and effects while he's at it.
Although he seems to be known mostly for multitrack recording and his various inventions, he was a brilliant guitar player and musician. He played licks and lead parts that are still being copied today by countless players. Simply brilliant! Nice post.
Are you sure about that? My understanding he was a mediocre player at best and invented a guitar to improve the quality of his sound. Same with Fender.
@@whaheydelee Les Paul is arguably the most important person in the music industry and, for generations, those who are part of the industry will continue to stand on his shoulders. Born in Waukesha, Wisconsin on June 9, 1915, Les Paul went on to invent the solid body electric guitar, multi-track recording, over dubbing (sound on sound) and many other recording techniques, which over time literally transformed the way music was made. In addition, Les Paul was a GRAMMY Award winning musician whose influenced such artists as Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Slash, Billie Joe Armstrong, Steve Miller, Bonnie Raitt, Slash and so many more. Known as the “Father of Modern Music,” Les was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Inventors Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and is represented in numerous museums across the country
@@shawnr771 Hey Shawn - thanks for the detailed information, great stuff. To my point however, was the man a talented guitar player or not? My understanding was to the latter, in contrast to Bob Loomis' post. Did he receive those awards based on his talents or his innovations?
check out les' right arm. he never straightens because he can't. he injured it and was told that he would lose the ability to move it once it was set. he had it set at an angle so he could still play. dedication. also gave us one of the finest guitars ever made.
it could well be the reason why the Lespaul is so small, to 50's standards... I find the lespaul way to small to play all around rhythm on, apart from power chords
I’ve always known Les Paul was a genius, but I came out of this with great new respect for Mary, she’s a brilliant singer, with an incredible ear for harmonies.
My dad was a classical music master, built harpsichords, was an amazing musician, played Bach and Chopin, early music etc. But he also loved Scott Joplin, Spike Jones, Les Paul and Mary Ford. He knew genius when he heard it.
I don't doubt for a second that Les Paul could devise just about any type of electronic studio gadgetry that he wanted to,given the time. A genius of an innovator,and,an absolute guitar master.
He had a big hand in the history and legacy of music in general much underappreciated and a pair of geniuses Les and Mary Paul will live forever through there music and contributions to music proper legends up there with Bach, Hayden
@@georgethomas4419 "Underappreciated" He's never been rated as underappreciated. On the contrary, he's been hailed as a genius by every single subsequent guitarist since the invention of the electric guitar. 😃 In short, worldwide recognition.
Great story about Les is that he couldn't read music. When he went looking for jobs with some of the big bands of the day they'd hand him a "chart" and, of course he couldn't read it. Les would ask them to play the tune through once so he could get the "feel" of what to play. He was so brilliant that he'd pick it up in one take and play. Great man and great music. Thank you for posting this.
There is a similar story about Jaco Pastorius. After getting a big band gig where he appeared to have mastered the charts, he had to tell the band leader that he couldn’t read charts. The band leader was puzzled so Jaco admitted that he had attended the band’s show the previous night and memorized the tunes!
@Bill Richards - He couldn't read music, but (in common with many guitarists, including me) he knew chords - G, EM, C7, etc). I read, or heard an interview with Les Paul in which he said back then he didn't know what a diminished chord was, so everytime he saw one on the chart he just played the standard version quieter!
Just to pile up more stories, there is one about George Shearing, who couldn't obviously read music, as he was blind. The story is that he was invited to a classical concert, not knowing he would be asked to play afterwards. He then proceeded to play variations on the classical pieces that were played throughout the night.
Richard Carpenter of the famous The Carpenters duo said that he watched this when he was a boy and it inspired him so much. He learned to do this in the recording studio and it was a huge part of the magic of his sister's Karen Carpenter's voice. Mary Ford was wonderful.
The magic in Karen Carpenter's voice was in her perfect pitch,look up some videos where they track the same song in studio versus live,she wasn't off at all
@@loudastous1159 Oh no, her singing was perfection! But Richard as the producer on The Carpenters records, has said in interviews that he got overdubbing techniques from Les Paul. Richard referred to Les Paul's techniques literally as "magic", and at the time Les Paul first introduced them (the 1950's) they were.
Yes Karen's voice was pitch perfect and a smooth contralto. Overdubbing the process described here allow just the two of them to make up the wonderfully harmonies. If you listen to the Bacharach/David medley on the third album you will hear a 34 part cord at the end of the phrase "here to remind you". That cord was created by just Richard and Karen using this process.
yes I read in the book "Little Girl Blue" she (Karen) told Richard she would love to sing and could sing Mary's Part. When I listen to this I can really imagine her dong just that.
Mary Ford is the most underrated singer of all time. Mary played the guitar just well as Les. If it was Not for Mary Les would be a complete unknown now. Mary Ford is one of the greatest singers of all time.
Awesome video! Years later, a musician, producer and arranger used Les's techniques to multiply his and his sister's voice the same way. That was Richard Carpenter and his sister Karen.
Forget Les for a minute. Mary Ford had a voice like an angel and was a got dang good lookin' woman! "How High The Moon" is one of my favorite songs ever and has been inside my noggin for over 40 years. Thanks for the memories Les and Mary.
Perhaps, but these are all sounds that I learned to hate during the 1970s. Still can't stand the pop/rock sound of the 1950s/60s. Even dad's trad jazz records sounded more modern in my ears, especially so during the 1980s and onwards.
Les Paul wasn't ahead of his time. He was one of the creators of our time. Even a live band playing all together in one take is recorded onto multiple tracks and edited.
@@herrbonk3635 I think it's a lot different when you live through trends, because you see the great things, but also the terrible things that capitalize on the popularity. I can't stand modern movies, but 40 years from now I'm sure people will look at the few good ones and think it all must have been great just because of how different they are from movies of that time.
@@Kyrieru That's true. We tend to extract the worst of an era that is 10 years away, i.e. the previous one, but the best from an era 20 or 40 years back. But I still can't really stand that sound (or hophip etc). Many things are indeed relative, but not all... ;)
This is like Henry Ford demonstrating the Model T or Edison’s demonstration of a audio reproducing device. The difference here is, Les did it all HIMSELF.
That was brilliant! I’m so happy that this recording survives to the present day! I’m an even bigger fan of all three people than I was before I saw this.
Blows my mind how many guitar players I know who don't know who Les is, hell most of them don't even understand that the Les Paul was named after a person.
I've had to watch this over a few time to let it all sink in. They basically invented modern recording. And it wasn't just technique and equipment, they also had perfect pitch. Current musicians take for granted what these people invented out of thin air. Outstanding piece of musical history. Thanks for posting.
Ohh ein telefunken fan, ...und schaut sich ampex recorder an XD ...schande über dich ;) Scherz bei seite, weist du ob les paul beide recorder synchron liefen lies? Waren ja mono?, glaub ich zu wissen und wie er dann ohne synchead aufnimmt ist mir immernoch ein rätsel, ...den wenn nach ping pong verfahren würde es mich wundern das beide recorder exakt gleich liefen ohne verschiebung? ...weiß du da mehr? ...btw. Was ist deine bevorzugte telefunken maschine? Grüße
Wowwww.......this track brings tears to my eyes......takes me back to when I was five years old in 1950. Rock n' roll was still 4 or 5 years in the future.
Wow! my dad saw him at a USO show and told me about this demonstration he put on, (this same demo) and how blown away he was by the pure genius and talent that this man possessed. This is actually my first time ever hearing him, and now I see that he was not only exactly what my dad said, but I see he was also the biggest influence on my dad. Listening to Les Paul play just that little demo was like hearing my dad play, I got chills watching this video, thank you for the priceless upload.
My god how is it he is not mentioned more as a guitar virtuoso and her for her vocals.. those two together perfection . My highest show of respect to them both….🤘
well offcourse he did, he invented the thing...everything about it stems from him cuz he was the only one in possession of it before it went on the market...he was not "virtuoso" he was just good and had style he wasnt really flashing technique like a "virtuoso" would he is really laid back and his playing is not complex at all its just very rhythmical and colorful since he is really good at music.
Pretty sure this one for video for the sheer passion for playing and the fun and innovation that tech introduced, but yes, you're right. Can the purchaser play with such light and gay?
As a guitarist I find it so funny when Les walks on without a guitar and struggles to know what to do with his hands and arms after the handshake. Such a relatable moment!
Simply awesome yes I do believe "there kes Paul and Ms. Ford recording in some museum today... What a delightful and wonderful team... Les Paul and Mary ford..
I've used all types of recording equipment (reel to reel, Adat,Daw,cassette) and could not trow a track down that quickly and accurately, absolutely fantastic talent. Les Paul, Dave Smith, Robert moog were some of the great innovators in music and knew their instruments and equipment inside out and upside-down.
And there you have it...multi-track recording.. interesting how something that has been common for decades is shown in its beginning...this was groundbreaking
5:30 is my throwback soundbyte for "helping" people understand what it means to be a singer songwriter-producer today. Thanks Les and Mary you were of course...way ahead of your time. This is dubbing. Plain and simple.
Mary pioneered the sound of the multi-tracked vocal, later to be a staple in almost all of pop music. When it's done well, like Mary did it, it is still one of my favorite sounds in the world. ♥
Thank you so much for sharing this!! Amazing, what a blast from the past!! Les Paul was a true pioneer in guitars, & this was a rare treasure to watch!!👏🏼💓✌🏼
Funny, but I've been hacking around on the Gitfiddle off and on, since I was 10, now 66 ! And like many, was told bits and pieces about Les and Mary by elders, blips on the Tv, etc. ! But never did I stop to listen, really listen until I came across this video ! It's true ! So many years ago, and so far ahead, they could not look back at their own History ! So lucky to have heard this, let alone now realize how gorgeous Mary was ! I wonder if they really ever realized what they had accomplished ? Resonating still today, and forever ! God rest your souls ! ❤️🥀❤️ R.I.P. L.P. & M.F.
So glad people get to see and hear Les, he made it possible for all of us. Such a great player and inventor and Mary was actually a pretty good guitarist herself! ✌️😎🎸🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶
My Dad told me when he was a kid in between breaks of a show, Les Paul would show up and do a five minute lesson. How cool is that?? 24 tracks of just voice and guitar. Notice there's no rhythm section? God this is so good
@@fredknearlmann6640 No there's definitely rhythm but there's no drum and bass That's what I mean. All the rhythm is from the guitars. It is possible that he could have used a guitar on the neck pickup with the tone rolled all the way off to simulate a bass too. Add some eq to that and you're practically there.
@@fredknearlmann6640 He would record guitar parts at double speed, so that when you played them back at normal speed it would sound just like a bass. He would also record at half speed so that when played back at normal speed it would sound like a violin, or a piccolo, or a laser from a spaceship. lol
Thanks for the smile! I’m just grinning ear to ear. How high the moon. Wow. Perfect harmony and timing. Any ‘inaccuracies’ just highlight some other track. Real singing and playing.
Man that Guy was rocking so hard even Mary couldn't keep up with him, he almost went on forever alone but thankfully they are back together tearing it up again !
He is an amazing genius I'm so glad I was able to see him play with my mom.. It was her birthday and after he played he came off stage took pictures with us and had a drink with me.. I'll never forget.. We had a heineken.. I still have the pictures And he signed a T-shirt for my mom Happy Birthday doll.🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I saw him back in the 70’s when he was touring with just himself and his son on drums. He used a thing he called the Les Paulverizer that was like a looper and multitrack recorder.
@@timograssi makes sense. Back in the 70’s I had an Akai 4 track ‘sound on sound’ reel to reel tape recorder that allowed you multitrack, that I believe had that feature. It was so much fun to use it to create four part songs.
I’m 58 y.o., so this was before my time. Being from Milwaukee, I heard a great deal about Les from my parents’ friends (the ones who were musicians) growing up. I started playing guitar in my teens as a result of the stories they told me.
I was lucky to see him twice at The Iridium in NYC . I also saw his spot at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland . One great guitarist and inventer . And Mary was a great singer .
I think that most guitar players will know this recording. I didn't ever watch this before. In fact is a sort of pre historique loopstation. In combination to 24 tracks recorder. Realy amazing, so I decided to share it with all my facebook friends. Great fun. So relaxed with their HighTech equipment.
Brilliant video love this . I remember my uncle Jack playing these songs . Back then these songs came out and uncle Jack bought a box set of 45’s … looks like Les is playing a Gibson Les Paul gold top . With dearmond pickups ….so advanced and cool😊🇨🇦
i love the fact that Les Paul made the same mock (pretending he was using a harmonizer pedal before they were invented, when instead he was playing a prerecorded track)... and still a lot (of non-musicians) thinks its real... he was a prankster!!! 😁
What many people don’t know, is that Les Paul had the idea of multi track recording, but Bing Crosby bought Les the tape recorders he needed to start recording. Bing was very interested in the opportunities that multi track recording created.
I really enjoyed this. What a gifted man and Mary Ford was also supremely talented. I am pleased to say Les Paul recorded several sides with Clancy Hayes in 1948? - My Extraordinary Gal was probably the best of them. Thanks again, CHJ.
His prototype, called the Log, made from a Gibson neck, a four-by-four block of pine, homemade pickups and mounted with a chopped up Epiphone body, served as inspiration for the Gibson Les Paul. He was consulted, and had some input on its look and design, but the guitar itself was designed by Ted McCarty and Gibson factory manager John Huis. Les only thought of it before it existed, gave his name to it and made it famous after McCarty and Huis made it a reality from Lester's vision, but hey...
@@TheDavidfallon not at all, the les paul design was derived from the bigsby prototype bought by fender. Fender tried to get les paul on his wagon showing him his models and prototypes, since les paul was a smart entrepeneur he realised he could make more money pushing gibson to enter the solid body market. Last but not least Les did not invent the solid body guitar, the first solid body was patented in 1935, 6 years before the log prototype was made.
@@I_0..0_I I don't think anyone here is saying Les invented the solid body guitar. The Rickenbacker Electro Spanish Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1935) probably has that honour, but it was an eccentric dead end that went nowhere...The Broadcaster and Les Paul, in contrast, were certainly the first successful solid bodies...
My God, imagine having this level of talent and craft, and then to have people accuse you of faking it... and then respond with such humour. Well done the host for putting those people straight.
Slightly surprising the way that Alistair Cooke pronounces "Les", bearing in mind how long he had been living in the U.S.A. The pronunciation is the one usually used in the U.K., where Les is most commonly an abbreviation of Leslie. In the States it is usually short for Lester, as is the case for Les Paul (Lester William Polsfuss).
“sounds practically the same”
“almost”
Brilliant musician, electronic engineer, and great sense of humor as well!
Total legend. I met Leo Fender once and couldn't get over the fact that I was looking at one of THE two guys (the other being Les). I kept thinking "I'm shaking the hand that, without which, there would BE no Buddy Holly, no James Burton, no Dick Dale, no Jeff Beck, no Jimi. THIS is the indispensable man." I'll never forget that. Got Les's autograph as well. They were giants.
Jupiter, Leo tried twice to get Les to join Fender & Les turned him down both times . Leo gave Les a Telecaster to try & see if he would endorse it but les had commitments to Gibson & though he took the Telecaster according to les he never played it. There is a photo of Les with that guitar. You are right ,if these two had not met & had the ideas for these iconic guitars Rock & Blues , Country & Jazz would still be far behind what we have today. Les & Leo remained friends but les never joined Fender . I to got to see & meet Les in 75 when he opened the local new music store in Rockville MD. Les had his Les Paulverizor to show off & that he did . As you say these were the two main ingredients in what we love about both guitars & all the variants that made rock history .
Indispensable men from an indispensable generation. 100%
Did the same with Jim Marshall
DAMMMM! YOU MET LEO? HELL, that beats any of my industry "war stories". I'll just stay quiet and keep reading. Sheeeesh!
Unlike Les however, Leo didn't play the guitar at all. He played the sax ok but completely revolutionized the guitar
Mary has a dreamy voice. It's no wonder they sold so many records and don't forget, Mary was a very accomplished guitar player herself.
I didn't know that!
let's not forget..Mary was an INCREDIBLE guitar player as well...
Every video I see there’s someone trying to give Mary credit as if she Never got recognition , Mary was the best at what she did there is no one that can compare To her , even till today . Les paul Chose her for the duo, She was singing in a trio at that time . And he was a solo guitarist at that time because he had left the Band he played for .
@@hellbent6344 poi I 8 8 kg jm.. Non ti ho %mai visto il mio stato 21:00 Q10,
@@hellbent6344 you’re wrong though Les Paul was better than Mary cuz he’s freaking Les Paul
@@mattpassos5689 Les was the innovator but Mary could match him note for note. At the time, there were very few who could.
Absolutely.
This is freaking priceless!!!... I'm almost 80 years old started playing guitar at 8 years old. When Les and Mary were on TV or radio, I told my dad, bet you they're using multiple tape recorders... My father being German just shook his head. Out of the mouth of babes LOL. Fantastic thanks for posting just happened to stumble onto this video.
Multi tracking then…I’ve played guitar since 11 yrs old…after hearing Beatles…I’m 67 now …Les was quite a guitarist…very quick..slap echo…An innovator….
Billy Strings today.
Les Paul was a friend of my Elementary School Principal. He put on a demonstration to an auditorium full of schoolkids who were amazed that this "old guy" invented so many of the stuff their favorite bands were then using. This was around 1970 or so.
Oh what I would give to have a time machine to take me there.
He invented the solid body electric guitar and overdubbing for multitrack recording
@@robertocordova2110 And Sonar too.Lots of valid inventions outside of music.Man was razor sharp.
Les, Mary and the like found themselves at an impasse. Madison Ave was out to ride the new, postwar Rockwave, and artists found it hard to straddle two horses in the same music stream.
You had the grab bag of Pop (mainstream popular music), and that tent had room for almost everyone and style.
Along came "that music" from "those people" on that side of town (with all that "rockin' and rollin') and believe me, after WW II, younger Americans tolerated the Big Band era with their lead vocalists cutting deals with the record companies, and they went solo, but wanted to find their own voice.
Genres of influence such as jazz, traditional uptempo blues, Texas swing an Rockabilly melded. Younger people loved the faster tempos, leaving mainstream styles for the older generation.
Les was a walking prodigy, experimenting and creating ANYTHING he needed to get that sound. His was Pop music standards at his tempo and stylings.
This old interview features a rigged apparatus for the humorous effect. Smart eyes will notice Les's careful usage of that right arm (the elbow crushed in a horrid auto accident).
Like every true artistic genius, the art comes first. He had that elbow set so he could continue to play. That's dedication. Period.
@@robertocordova2110 I thought Leo Fender was first with the solid body.
To be a phenomenal guitarist and INVENT multi-track recording too is incredible talent. Let’s not overlook Mary’s unerring ability with harmonies too. My mother, now in her 80s, used to rave about Les Paul and Mary Ford and you have to say she is quite correct to do so.
Really they do the same thing that I am doing when I write music. The difference aside from style is that I use digital media on a PC not tape machines. Almost 100 years later the same basic techniques work. Sure, you can have a group of musicians playing the parts all at once and if they are all good it will go MUCH quicker but they all have to A) be used to playing together which takes years B) be familiar with the piece enough to do 1 or 2 takes well. Then there is the factor of having a them all in the same place at the same time with the equipment to make it happen. It is much less time consuming to just write like Les and Mary did. Now with direct lines and more consistent equipment you can almost eliminate all cross-talk and get a much cleaner product. Then there are the effects... and the other digital mixing techniques but it all comes down to getting the raw track down in time and with the correct tone and feel your looking for. Same thing just some of the same tools and some newer different tools. I will say though that when I have had great musicians and we all are here laying down tracks it is soooo much tighter. It is the small compensations we all make realtime which make it sound that way. You cannot do this track by track. You can get it perfect but it will sound mechanical.
@@evilstalkerhorne When Les Paul recorded How High the Moon in 1951 he was using an Ampex 300, 3 track tape machine. Tape machines have 3 heads. A record head, a playback head, and an erase head. The playback and record are obvious but the purpose of the erase head is that when you hit record it erases what was there before so you aren't recording on top of it. Well Les disabled the erase head so he could stack multiple layers on top of each other. This is known as sound on sound recording. The only downside is if you make a mistake you literally have to record the entire song again.
Let's not forget that he also invented the guitar he's playing.
We also sometimes forget that Mary was no slouch on the guitar either.
@Michael Jackson The Guilty Dead Pedophile Some how as always some so called "conservative" traitor towards our founding fathers ideals makes it about politics !!!
What an amazing man. He invents the electric guitar, plays better than most people can play even today, pioneers multi-track recordings and effects while he's at it.
PLus he had his right elbow fused due to the car accidnet
Hmm ‘ ... invents the electric guitar...?
Check out the history of the G&L guitar
No he didnt you dummy
He did not invent the electric guitar. You need to check your history. Might want to research Adolph Rickenbacker.
Although he seems to be known mostly for multitrack recording and his various inventions, he was a brilliant guitar player and musician. He played licks and lead parts that are still being copied today by countless players. Simply brilliant! Nice post.
Also Mary Ford .. copied him and kept right up with him
He also basically invented the Solid Body Guitar.
He disliked the sound of hollow body guitars.
Are you sure about that? My understanding he was a mediocre player at best and invented a guitar to improve the quality of his sound. Same with Fender.
@@whaheydelee Les Paul is arguably the most important person in the music industry and, for generations, those who are part of the industry will continue to stand on his shoulders. Born in Waukesha, Wisconsin on June 9, 1915, Les Paul went on to invent the solid body electric guitar, multi-track recording, over dubbing (sound on sound) and many other recording techniques, which over time literally transformed the way music was made. In addition, Les Paul was a GRAMMY Award winning musician whose influenced such artists as Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Slash, Billie Joe Armstrong, Steve Miller, Bonnie Raitt, Slash and so many more.
Known as the “Father of Modern Music,” Les was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Inventors Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and is represented in numerous museums across the country
@@shawnr771 Hey Shawn - thanks for the detailed information, great stuff. To my point however, was the man a talented guitar player or not? My understanding was to the latter, in contrast to Bob Loomis' post. Did he receive those awards based on his talents or his innovations?
They were way ahead of anybody else in the 50’s.
They are WAY ahead of most so call musician by today's standards
check out les' right arm. he never straightens because he can't. he injured it and was told that he would lose the ability to move it once it was set. he had it set at an angle so he could still play. dedication. also gave us one of the finest guitars ever made.
Interesting....and yes, the Gibson Les Paul is awesome - I prefer it when playing jazz.
is it really to play the guitar or to polish the dolphin with the dominant hand
@@jojojojojojojojojojojojob feedin geese
Did not know this...thanks for the info!
it could well be the reason why the Lespaul is so small, to 50's standards... I find the lespaul way to small to play all around rhythm on, apart from power chords
I’ve always known Les Paul was a genius, but I came out of this with great new respect for Mary, she’s a brilliant singer, with an incredible ear for harmonies.
Wow that was a bit of a shock when he said August 2020 and watching it in August 2020! lol
August 2021 here!!
Absolutely!
Still creepy in Jan 2022
@@bellringrrakascaleywalez3240 I was thinking the same thing haha
Strange I'm glad it wasn't me I'd of put me phone in the fire
I hope we never lose pieces of historical documentation like this! Thanks for posting!!
Les Paul was sooooo ahead of his time! What an awesome and talented guitarist and inventor!!! What a great and legendary husband and wife duo!!!
My dad was a classical music master, built harpsichords, was an amazing musician, played Bach and Chopin, early music etc. But he also loved Scott Joplin, Spike Jones, Les Paul and Mary Ford. He knew genius when he heard it.
First Class the pair of them are just proper legends First Class
Hey Matt, this is pretty awesome. Good to bump into you in the cyber world!
Bach and Spike Jones? Very eclectic tastes.
I don't doubt for a second that Les Paul could devise just about any type of electronic studio gadgetry that he wanted to,given the time. A genius of an innovator,and,an absolute guitar master.
He had a big hand in the history and legacy of music in general much underappreciated and a pair of geniuses Les and Mary Paul will live forever through there music and contributions to music proper legends up there with Bach, Hayden
@@georgethomas4419 "Underappreciated" He's never been rated as underappreciated. On the contrary, he's been hailed as a genius by every single subsequent guitarist since the invention of the electric guitar. 😃 In short, worldwide recognition.
Great story about Les is that he couldn't read music. When he went looking for jobs with some of the big bands of the day they'd hand him a "chart" and, of course he couldn't read it. Les would ask them to play the tune through once so he could get the "feel" of what to play. He was so brilliant that he'd pick it up in one take and play. Great man and great music. Thank you for posting this.
There is a similar story about Jaco Pastorius. After getting a big band gig where he appeared to have mastered the charts, he had to tell the band leader that he couldn’t read charts. The band leader was puzzled so Jaco admitted that he had attended the band’s show the previous night and memorized the tunes!
@Bill Richards - He couldn't read music, but (in common with many guitarists, including me) he knew chords - G, EM, C7, etc). I read, or heard an interview with Les Paul in which he said back then he didn't know what a diminished chord was, so everytime he saw one on the chart he just played the standard version quieter!
Glen Campbell was the same, but later on could kinda see the chord symbols
Just to pile up more stories, there is one about George Shearing, who couldn't obviously read music, as he was blind. The story is that he was invited to a classical concert, not knowing he would be asked to play afterwards. He then proceeded to play variations on the classical pieces that were played throughout the night.
@@vecernicek2 George Shearing could read music btw but of course he could not sight read.
Richard Carpenter of the famous The Carpenters duo said that he watched this when he was a boy and it inspired him so much. He learned to do this in the recording studio and it was a huge part of the magic of his sister's Karen Carpenter's voice. Mary Ford was wonderful.
The magic in Karen Carpenter's voice was in her perfect pitch,look up some videos where they track the same song in studio versus live,she wasn't off at all
@@loudastous1159 Oh no, her singing was perfection! But Richard as the producer on The Carpenters records, has said in interviews that he got overdubbing techniques from Les Paul. Richard referred to Les Paul's techniques literally as "magic", and at the time Les Paul first introduced them (the 1950's) they were.
Yes Karen's voice was pitch perfect and a smooth contralto. Overdubbing the process described here allow just the two of them to make up the wonderfully harmonies. If you listen to the Bacharach/David medley on the third album you will hear a 34 part cord at the end of the phrase "here to remind you". That cord was created by just Richard and Karen using this process.
yes I read in the book "Little Girl Blue" she (Karen) told Richard she would love to sing and could sing Mary's Part. When I listen to this I can really imagine her dong just that.
Les is more. More than a legend. Guitarists all owe him so much.
Why ? What did he do ?
@@jungleninja8415 Google him. If you aren't a musician ( especially guitarist ) you probably don't know.
@@Kacee2 I think Jungle Ninja was kidding. I mean, he's here isnt he?
@@vicferrari89 maybe so. A lot of young people don't know anything about him and Mary Ford though.
@@Kacee2 Yeh, you're right. I hit 70 and when I ask young people who Nat Kind Cole is........Huh?
Mary Ford is the most underrated singer of all time. Mary played the guitar just well as Les. If it was Not for Mary Les would be a complete unknown now. Mary Ford is one of the greatest singers of all time.
Ron Marler 57 I think you’re underrating Les juuuuust a bit!
@@skepticynic5150 a whole lot actually
Totally agree about Mary Ford.
You got a bit carried away there.
Mary Ford was quite good but to say Les would have been a nobody without her is silly.
The father of multi-tracking, Les Paul. Also did some cool things with a tape echo. You can hear the slap-back now and then.
he and jimi page actually worked together on it i heard they have patents.
Les Paul is universally regarded as "The Father of Modern Audio Recording"
Les was an inveterate tinkerer, he also invented medical devices and other non- musical stuff.
Les’ & Mary’s sense of humor is a mix of dry & absolutely trolling. I love it!
What a treasure. Thank you for posting this. What real artistry looks and sounds like.
Awesome video! Years later, a musician, producer and arranger used Les's techniques to multiply his and his sister's voice the same way. That was Richard Carpenter and his sister Karen.
Forget Les for a minute. Mary Ford had a voice like an angel and was a got dang good lookin' woman! "How High The Moon" is one of my favorite songs ever and has been inside my noggin for over 40 years. Thanks for the memories Les and Mary.
AND she played the guitar!
yeah she was cute and what's funny is she could throw out riffs on a Les Paul plank like no big deal.yeah she was a good player,check it out
These folks were WAY ahead of their time and what I’d give for that Les Paul guitar! I have a 2012 gold top Les Paul tribute.
Perhaps, but these are all sounds that I learned to hate during the 1970s. Still can't stand the pop/rock sound of the 1950s/60s. Even dad's trad jazz records sounded more modern in my ears, especially so during the 1980s and onwards.
Les Paul wasn't ahead of his time. He was one of the creators of our time. Even a live band playing all together in one take is recorded onto multiple tracks and edited.
I have a Slash gold top !
@@herrbonk3635 I think it's a lot different when you live through trends, because you see the great things, but also the terrible things that capitalize on the popularity. I can't stand modern movies, but 40 years from now I'm sure people will look at the few good ones and think it all must have been great just because of how different they are from movies of that time.
@@Kyrieru That's true. We tend to extract the worst of an era that is 10 years away, i.e. the previous one, but the best from an era 20 or 40 years back. But I still can't really stand that sound (or hophip etc). Many things are indeed relative, but not all... ;)
Les Paul and Mary Ford. Two brilliant, classy and multi talented individuals. They don't make them like that anymore.
This is like Henry Ford demonstrating the Model T or Edison’s demonstration of a audio reproducing device. The difference here is, Les did it all HIMSELF.
A true legend of the guitar. Even the guitar that bears his name is a true legend. Truly immortal. God bless Les
His mom liked guitar so much she named him after one
“That sounds exactly the same.”
Les: “Almost.”😂
Technology may come and go but talent is timeless.
To quote and old Levi's ad "Quality never goes out of style".
And one of Les' supreme talents was technology.
That was brilliant! I’m so happy that this recording survives to the present day! I’m an even bigger fan of all three people than I was before I saw this.
The first great rock guitarist, what a duo, just love them
Multi effects pedals were much larger in the 50’s.
ok
Oh yes
lol
By August of 2020???? Here it is January of 2022, I'm still looking for The Jetsons and their flying automobiles................
Blows my mind how many guitar players I know who don't know who Les is, hell most of them don't even understand that the Les Paul was named after a person.
He actually designed the guitar
I've had to watch this over a few time to let it all sink in. They basically invented modern recording. And it wasn't just technique and equipment, they also had perfect pitch. Current musicians take for granted what these people invented out of thin air. Outstanding piece of musical history. Thanks for posting.
talks of aug 2020 ..u will come through ..well its almost here - seems so fun to have lived back then
Ohh ein telefunken fan, ...und schaut sich ampex recorder an XD ...schande über dich ;)
Scherz bei seite, weist du ob les paul beide recorder synchron liefen lies? Waren ja mono?, glaub ich zu wissen und wie er dann ohne synchead aufnimmt ist mir immernoch ein rätsel, ...den wenn nach ping pong verfahren würde es mich wundern das beide recorder exakt gleich liefen ohne verschiebung? ...weiß du da mehr? ...btw. Was ist deine bevorzugte telefunken maschine? Grüße
Well, now August of 2020 is here, and we're still listening, aren't we.
August 2020 is here
@Jon Goat August 31st here and you came through!
and now it's come and gone and you know what, it was a total non event. Not nearly as good as this :)
Wowwww.......this track brings tears to my eyes......takes me back to when I was five years old in 1950. Rock n' roll was still 4 or 5 years in the future.
Wow! my dad saw him at a USO show and told me about this demonstration he put on, (this same demo) and how blown away he was by the pure genius and talent that this man possessed. This is actually my first time ever hearing him, and now I see that he was not only exactly what my dad said, but I see he was also the biggest influence on my dad. Listening to Les Paul play just that little demo was like hearing my dad play, I got chills watching this video, thank you for the priceless upload.
My god how is it he is not mentioned more as a guitar virtuoso and her for her vocals.. those two together perfection .
My highest show of respect to them both….🤘
Les was the first virtuoso of the Electric guitar. He pioneered alot what us guitarists take for granted today.
@Satanic Panic Fun and Games and Eddie Lang before that.
well offcourse he did, he invented the thing...everything about it stems from him cuz he was the only one in possession of it before it went on the market...he was not "virtuoso" he was just good and had style he wasnt really flashing technique like a "virtuoso" would he is really laid back and his playing is not complex at all its just very rhythmical and colorful since he is really good at music.
That is one of the clearest prints I have seen of this. Thanks for posting!
That guitar would be worth lots of money today
I vaguely remember Mary Ford's on Pawn Stars. I know that show is fake as shit, but the guitar was real I imagine lol.
Pretty sure this one for video for the sheer passion for playing and the fun and innovation that tech introduced, but yes, you're right. Can the purchaser play with such light and gay?
It recently sold at auction
All Les Pauls' are worth a lot of money lol. 🎸
Guitars are easy to find, this video is priceless...
As a guitarist I find it so funny when Les walks on without a guitar and struggles to know what to do with his hands and arms after the handshake. Such a relatable moment!
Simply awesome yes I do believe "there kes Paul and Ms. Ford recording in some museum today... What a delightful and wonderful team... Les Paul and Mary ford..
What a little gem. Thanks for putting this up. :)
I've used all types of recording equipment (reel to reel, Adat,Daw,cassette) and could not trow a track down that quickly and accurately, absolutely fantastic talent. Les Paul, Dave Smith, Robert moog were some of the great innovators in music and knew their instruments and equipment inside out and upside-down.
And there you have it...multi-track recording.. interesting how something that has been common for decades is shown in its beginning...this was groundbreaking
5:30 is my throwback soundbyte for "helping" people understand what it means to be a singer songwriter-producer today. Thanks Les and Mary you were of course...way ahead of your time. This is dubbing. Plain and simple.
It's now August 2020 and I've just finished listening!
F*ck! I missed it!!
Mary pioneered the sound of the multi-tracked vocal, later to be a staple in almost all of pop music.
When it's done well, like Mary did it, it is still one of my favorite sounds in the world. ♥
Thank you so much for sharing this!! Amazing, what a blast from the past!! Les Paul was a true pioneer in guitars, & this was a rare treasure to watch!!👏🏼💓✌🏼
Funny, but I've been hacking around on the Gitfiddle off and on, since I was 10, now 66 !
And like many, was told bits and pieces about Les and Mary by elders, blips on the Tv, etc. !
But never did I stop to listen, really listen until I came across this video !
It's true !
So many years ago, and so far ahead, they could not look back at their own History !
So lucky to have heard this, let alone now realize how gorgeous Mary was !
I wonder if they really ever realized what they had accomplished ?
Resonating still today, and forever !
God rest your souls !
❤️🥀❤️
R.I.P.
L.P. & M.F.
2020 and I love watching old videos like this.... Even just early 1900's videos from cities around the world.
Who not my friend ;) vintage and the days back are so beatyfull !!!
les gave us multitracking, what a brain and great musician
Les Paul is universally regarded as "The Father of Modern Audio Recording"
@@tommitchell7294 all that would become a simple pedal bar.
So glad people get to see and hear Les, he made it possible for all of us. Such a great player and inventor and Mary was actually a pretty good guitarist herself!
✌️😎🎸🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶
My Dad told me when he was a kid in between breaks of a show, Les Paul would show up and do a five minute lesson.
How cool is that??
24 tracks of just voice and guitar. Notice there's no rhythm section? God this is so good
You can hear the bass notes, so there's rhythm.
@@fredknearlmann6640 No there's definitely rhythm but there's no drum and bass That's what I mean.
All the rhythm is from the guitars.
It is possible that he could have used a guitar on the neck pickup with the tone rolled all the way off to simulate a bass too.
Add some eq to that and you're practically there.
@@fredknearlmann6640 He would record guitar parts at double speed, so that when you played them back at normal speed it would sound just like a bass. He would also record at half speed so that when played back at normal speed it would sound like a violin, or a piccolo, or a laser from a spaceship. lol
Thanks for the smile! I’m just grinning ear to ear. How high the moon. Wow. Perfect harmony and timing. Any ‘inaccuracies’ just highlight some other track. Real singing and playing.
Man that Guy was rocking so hard even Mary couldn't keep up with him, he almost went on forever alone but thankfully they are back together tearing it up again !
He is an amazing genius I'm so glad I was able to see him play with my mom.. It was her birthday and after he played he came off stage took pictures with us and had a drink with me.. I'll never forget.. We had a heineken.. I still have the pictures And he signed a T-shirt for my mom Happy Birthday doll.🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Wonderful sense of humour as well as a wonderful musician and inventor!
And Mary’s smile is so beautiful 😍just like her voice
Yes, women back then were beautiful. Not skeletons
So true👍
She was a great player.
I saw him back in the 70’s when he was touring with just himself and his son on drums. He used a thing he called the Les Paulverizer that was like a looper and multitrack recorder.
Englisch
The first loopers were modified tape echoes where the erase head could be switched off. I think they were called the Bluebox at this times.
@@timograssi makes sense. Back in the 70’s I had an Akai 4 track ‘sound on sound’ reel to reel tape recorder that allowed you multitrack, that I believe had that feature. It was so much fun to use it to create four part songs.
@@richardgrier8968 I had that AkaI, the only drawback was that it made a slight click if you tried to punch in a track mid song.
I’m 58 y.o., so this was before my time. Being from Milwaukee, I heard a great deal about Les from my parents’ friends (the ones who were musicians) growing up. I started playing guitar in my teens as a result of the stories they told me.
Legend has it, someone was still listening to all records in August 2020
The way he looks at his wife is just pure love and admiration.
Les was a genius....And an incredible guitar player to boot...
Mary could play everything Les did too.....
Amazing couple....
I was lucky to see him twice at The Iridium in NYC . I also saw his spot at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland . One great guitarist and inventer . And Mary was a great singer .
So glad you found and brought this forward.
I think that most guitar players will know this recording. I didn't ever watch this before. In fact is a sort of pre historique loopstation.
In combination to 24 tracks recorder. Realy amazing, so I decided to share it with all my facebook friends. Great fun. So relaxed with their HighTech equipment.
i wonder if he had set the standard (24 tracks) for recording ?
it seem to have been 24 tracks until todays digital age
That's a nice sounding broadcast mic! Mary's voice sounds soooo smooth.
Amazing to SEE Alister Cooke , he was a radio presenter with a show called “Letter from America” on the BBC for years.
❤️👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 what year was this taking place?
Don't know!
What a nugget of pure gold to stumble across at half past midnight on a hot steamy summer night whiling away the sleeplessness in UA-cam
Brilliant video love this . I remember my uncle Jack playing these songs . Back then these songs came out and uncle Jack bought a box set of 45’s … looks like Les is playing a Gibson Les Paul gold top . With dearmond pickups ….so advanced and cool😊🇨🇦
Not DeArmond’s, P-90’s.
The originator of the multi track.....and the whole music recording industry owes Les a well done😊😊😊😊
Amazing stuff! Really gifted! What an incredible contribution to the world of music! :)
Les actually seems like a likeable person.
He prob was, if you haven’t, check out the video of him hanging with Joe Walsh.
There's only one word for this fabulous chap "PIONEER"
This recording is gem. Thanks for posting.
So amazing. Genius of guitar and electronic innovation. Mary is perfect for this music. She also plays amazing guitar.
I have no idea how I found this but I have fallen in love with music all over again!!!
Mary Ford was also a badass guitar slinger too,check it out.i'd forgotten how incredible this couple was,they did a lot to move music ahead
i love the fact that Les Paul made the same mock (pretending he was using a harmonizer pedal before they were invented, when instead he was playing a prerecorded track)...
and still a lot (of non-musicians) thinks its real... he was a prankster!!! 😁
What many people don’t know, is that Les Paul had the idea of multi track recording, but Bing Crosby bought Les the tape recorders he needed to start recording. Bing was very interested in the opportunities that multi track recording created.
I really enjoyed this. What a gifted man and Mary Ford was also supremely talented. I am pleased to say Les Paul recorded several sides with Clancy Hayes in 1948? - My Extraordinary Gal was probably the best of them. Thanks again, CHJ.
Two icons of music doing what they do best! Fabulous! !!
I love how Les talks technical like every day conversation.
Hands down one of the coolest things I've ever watched!
Les made a massive contribution to music, but it seems people sometimes forget that he didn't design the Les Paul.
His prototype, called the Log, made from a Gibson neck, a four-by-four block of pine, homemade pickups and mounted with a chopped up Epiphone body, served as inspiration for the Gibson Les Paul. He was consulted, and had some input on its look and design, but the guitar itself was designed by Ted McCarty and Gibson factory manager John Huis. Les only thought of it before it existed, gave his name to it and made it famous after McCarty and Huis made it a reality from Lester's vision, but hey...
@@TheDavidfallon nice to read i didn,t knew that.
Thats interesting. I was one of them. I was under the impression that's exactly what he did. Wonder what else I've got wrong....
@@TheDavidfallon not at all, the les paul design was derived from the bigsby prototype bought by fender. Fender tried to get les paul on his wagon showing him his models and prototypes, since les paul was a smart entrepeneur he realised he could make more money pushing gibson to enter the solid body market. Last but not least Les did not invent the solid body guitar, the first solid body was patented in 1935, 6 years before the log prototype was made.
@@I_0..0_I I don't think anyone here is saying Les invented the solid body guitar. The Rickenbacker Electro Spanish Model Solid Body Electric Guitar (1935) probably has that honour, but it was an eccentric dead end that went nowhere...The Broadcaster and Les Paul, in contrast, were certainly the first successful solid bodies...
Genius talent, innovation and wit. And Mary Ford - what a doll.
My God, imagine having this level of talent and craft, and then to have people accuse you of faking it... and then respond with such humour. Well done the host for putting those people straight.
It's happening today with an incredible singer from Kazakhstan named Dimash.
Les Paul was from the future. He got stuck in the past, used what was available and invented modern recording techniques.
That was awesome!
Thank God for Lester.
Les paul, proving that he is an amazing showman
Slightly surprising the way that Alistair Cooke pronounces "Les", bearing in mind how long he had been living in the U.S.A. The pronunciation is the one usually used in the U.K., where Les is most commonly an abbreviation of Leslie. In the States it is usually short for Lester, as is the case for Les Paul (Lester William Polsfuss).
The art of overdubs, and multi track recording era begins.
A standard in all recording studios today.
Soooo did Les Paul invent the Looper Pedal?
Aug. 2020 has past and I still haven't finished playing all the records he made.
Fuck! I've been waiting years for the time to crack this joke! Damn pandemics!!