Les Paul and I met when I was the director of the Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum and was planning a Les Paul exhibit. For the next 10 years, our friendship grew.
Our late-night phone conversations lasted hours and were filled with Les sharing his life story. He grew up with a single mother and an older brother. That was in the 1920s when divorce was rare. At one point, Les’ piano teacher sent a note home telling his mother, Evelyn, to save her money because her son would never make it as a musician. Fortunately, Evelyn said to pay no attention to the comment. He would be great. She constantly found opportunities for her young son to perform.
Evelyn convinced local fraternal organizations to have preschool Les entertain them. He was so small he had to be lifted onto a table to perform so his audience could see him. He would sing and dance and tell funny stories. He dropped the dancing, but even in his 90s, Les was known for his sense of humor. Those who met him were charmed by his “guy next door” demeanor. He mesmerized his weekly packed audiences at New York’s Iridium Jazz Club. Fans often included well-known musicians and entertainers among those who came from around the world to sit at the feet of the Wizard of Waukesha.
The stories of Les are endless. The man lived to be 94, and like Thomas Edison, rarely slept. He is the only person in both the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and that is the essence of Les Paul. In 1987, Les Paul was inducted into the WAMI Hall of Fame. He and his wife Mary Ford had multiple gold records, but Les’ many recording inventions and innovations changed the music industry.
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Les once told me that he didn’t think anyone would remember him when he was gone. I told him he was wrong, and I promised I would inspire others with his life story. Les inspired many and now I continue that legacy with presentations about Les and creating classroom resources among the work I do within the Les Paul Foundation that he created.
The Les Paul Foundation inspires innovative and creative thinking by sharing Les’ legacy through the support of music education, recording, innovation, exhibits about Les Paul, and medical research related to curing tinnitus. Since 2011, the Les Paul Foundation has provided over $5,000,000 to over 150 organizations in 32 states.
After serving in the Army during World War II, Les always made time for military veterans. He and Mary would visit and sing to veterans at Milwaukee’s Woods Hospital when they were in Wisconsin. After meeting a volunteer from Wisconsin-based Guitars for Vets, I called Les. He was intrigued and asked me to find out more and get back to him. So, it is no surprise that the Les Paul Foundation has an ongoing relationship with the GFV.
Although several museums have exhibits on Les Paul, two of the best are at Milwaukee’s Discovery World and at the Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum. The museums tell Les’ story from slightly different vantage points, and each has unique artifacts from Les.
Epilogue
Les Paul was born in Waukesha on June 9, 1915. Following his death on August 12, 2009, he was buried at Waukesha’s Prairie Home Cemetery. As Les said, “It all started in Waukesha, and the people there were supportive of me. It makes sense to come full circle and be buried in my hometown.” Les chose the location within Prairie Home because “I think people will come to visit me and I don’t want them walking on someone else’s grave to get to me.” He also told us he wanted places for his guests to sit so that it was a park-like setting. In addition to the sculpture of the 1952 Gibson Les Paul solid body guitar, the memorial has a brief biography of Les and a list of some of his major awards, including one from the Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI).
Les Paul’s website is constantly adding new music, videos, documents, photos, a plethora of classroom materials, and free posters.
Visit: Les-Paul.com and Les Paul Hometown Tour
Photo Credit: Erol Reyal
