He brought joy to the world.

thanks Watcher13

Yeah, he even said that, Merri, music was what kept him going. His problem is that people who saw him play in clubs saw his best stuff. He admitted that, when he became a star, he mainly was chasing the money. So a lot of his solo stuff is on the bland side, even though you can sometimes hear him flying around the guitar. Most of his solo jazz work was in the 30 and 40s and didn't sell much. His popularity came from radio performances with a Lawrence Welk type band, Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians. Though, to be fair, Waring's band was much bigger in radio than Welk's and much better. But they were mainly a pop band.

Your best chance is him guesting with artists during the '40s. Bing Crosby, Kay Starr (the pop singer who started as an underrated swing singer), The Andrews Sisters, Nat King Cole, Illinois Jacquet, Willie "The Lion" Smith, and especially a couple of the earliest in Verve's "Jazz at the Philharmonic" series. In jazz from the 80s onward your only likely to find him on the occassional guest shot, like a duet on Spanish Eyes on Al DiMeola's well known Splendido Hotel album.

Thanks a lot, Ibwebb. I used to write news part time, so I had a little practice. Some of it was research, though I didn't plagarize any phrases. But I have been following Paul's career for a long time.

Also, I let the All Music Guide put one over on me! AAAARGH! I thought I had his name right - Polfuss - but All Music had it as Poifus and I changed it. AAAAAARGH!

Watcher13: Thanks for the notice. I actually missed this as I browsed the "news" online. I hope you don't mind but you said it so wonderfully here that I copy and pasted it on a personal (facebook) page as a note. I did make sure to give credit to you though for the words!

I can't help feeling this was one of those blows to the music community that will be felt from the most basic of musicians to those considered the 'Kings/Queens' of music.

ibwebb

Wow, I wonder if keeping his music going was what kept HIM going?
Thanks for sharing this...
I am a bit of a jazz nut and am sure that I have some CD's in which he featured..

I was debating whether to post, but this is one of those semi-forgotten genius deaths that deserves a mention. Lester "Red" Poifus died today.

There's a little dispute on what "Les Paul" actually invented, but he's the one that made the electric guitar and multi-track recording the musical standards they are today, and it's hard to come up with much in today's music world more important than that.

Paul was already a nationally known jazz guitarist - dazzling audiences with his self designed electric guitars and portable amps - when he went to the studio to make pop records in the late 40s with his then wife, singer-guitarist Mary Ford. His solo and duo records - though conservative - rewrote the language of how to craft a record and feature BRILLIANT guitar work, Les usually playing most of the instruments. He had a bunch of hits, "How High the Moon" is the most famous, and then stepped out of the limelight for a long time.

He then concentrated on designing guitars for Gibson, and his Les Paul Custom became THE guitar for 60s rockers and probably still is. Getting a Les Paul Custom is considered a status symbol purchase. Just to name a few: Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Neil Young, Bob Marley, Pete Townshend. One of them sold at auction for 45 grand.

His "comeback" record in '77 with Chet Atkins, "Chester and Lester" won a Grammy and is considered one of the great guitar showcases. In '79 he started his final legend when, as a senior citizen, he returned to his first love and played New York Jazz and blues clubs, wowing the audience and other musicians every week until his death. In fact, he played through arthritis so bad that near the end he was picking with only 2 fingers and STILL wowing them. He was 94 and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hifqxqr5ldhe~T1