Les Paul

Every modern guitarist and record producer should worship at Les Paul's altar. This brilliant innovator changed the course of popular music -- and he had one heck of a good time doing so. An excellent jazz guitarist who jammed with the cream of the Swing and Bop crop, Paul's hollow sound was aided by his own inventions: a series of solid-bodied electric guitars that were adopted by the industry and became rock 'n' roll standard issue. Paul's solo style was crammed with ideas, but he soon began over-dubbing his guitar parts and wife Mary Ford's vocals, resulting in recordings (such as "How High the Moon") that ruled the charts in the late '40s and early '50s. Even after a serious 1948 car accident left him with a crippled arm, Paul remained a one-man band after having his shattered arm reset in the "play" position; now, that's what we call dedication. All his efforts -- from his '30s Decca sides to his late '70s sessions with Chet Atkins to his current NY club appearances -- have resulted in wonderful sounds.