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MUSIC - What are ASF members listening to?

Slightly off topic but worth a mention...

Legendary guitarist and inventor Les Paul, who pioneered the design of solid body electric guitars, died yesterday aged 94.

The rock 'n' roll icon passed away at a New York hospital of complications from pneumonia.

He had been playing regular gigs at a New York nightclub as recently as a few months ago until he began battling a series of illnesses that put him "in and out of the hospital", his attorney Michael Braunstein said.

"At 94, it's hard to fight a lot of stuff," Braunstein said. "He's a historical person. He certainly has left his mark here on Earth and had many, many friends."

He and wife Mary Ford enjoyed a string of hits in the 1940s and 1950s that included 'Mockin' Bird Hill' and the influential 'How High the Moon', which featured some of Paul's recording innovations, such as multi-layered tracks.

Paul created one of the first solid-body electric guitars in 1941, but it took nearly 10 years before he, working with Gibson Guitar Corporation, perfected it. In 1952, the Les Paul Goldtop became an instant sensation that still impacts on music, especially rock 'n' roll.

Gibson released Paul's Black Beauty, the Les Paul Custom and 1958's Les Paul Standard, with its revolutionary humbucker pickups and sunburst design.

Tributes from the music world poured in as news of Paul's death spread.

"He was one of the most stellar human beings I've known," said former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, who said Paul was his mentor.

Blues legend BB King said: "Les Paul was truly a 'one of a kind.' He was the founding father of modern music."
 
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