The Original Guitar Hero is Dead.

Yesterday, 94 year old Les Paul died of complications from pneumonia. He is best known for pioneering the solid-body electric guitar. But basicly, without him, the modern record industry wouldn't exist. He also pioneered multi-tracking & overdubbing, in which additional sound or music can be added after the original recording is made. Long before transistors or microchips Les Paul was adapting the guitar with electronics – warping notes, experimenting with echo and feedback, and twiddling knobs to alter its sound.

In 1978, along with longtime singing partner Mary Ford, he was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 1983 he received a Grammy Trustees Award for his lifetime achievements. In 1988, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Jeff Beck. Beck said: "I've copied more licks from Les Paul than I'd like to admit." In 1991, the Mix Foundation established an annual award in his name; the Les Paul Award. The award honors "individuals or institutions that have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of audio technology."Les Paul was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in May 2005 for his development of the solid-body electric guitar. In 2006, Paul was inducted into the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He was named an honorary member of the Audio Engineering Society.

In the early 50s, Gibson Guitar designed a guitar incorporating Paul's suggestions. Over the years the Gibson Les Paul has been the guitar of choice for Pete Townshend of The Who, Steve Howe of Yes, jazz great Al DiMeola & Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page Eric Clapton also regularly used Les Pauls. He was was the godfather of rock guitarist Steve Miller of the Steve Miller Band. Les Paul gave Miller his first guitar lesson.

Here are a few of his multitude of greats that left their mark on music to this day:

Mockingbird Hill

Tennessee Waltz

Vaya Con Dios

Lady of Spain

Bye Bye Blues

I'm Sitting on Top of the World

This is only a small sampling of the legacy he left us.