Les Paul - photo by AP
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum are presenting a special exhibit honoring the late iconic guitar legend Les Paul who died August 13. In its obituary, Rolling Stone hailed Paul as, “one of the most revered guitarists in history and the father of the electric guitar.”
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005, Paul transformed popular music by inventing the modern solid-body electric guitar. According to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Paul’s success as a performer and recording artist inspired a generation of musicians to master the new instrument. Paul also pioneered innovative techniques that transformed music-recording technology, such as overdubbing, delay effects, multi-track recording, tape delay and more.
The special exhibit contains video clips including Alistair Cooke’s 1953 CBS television program Omnibus in which Paul and his wife Mary Ford demonstrated Paul’s SEL-SYNC® invention, which was a precursor to eight track recording and subsequent modern studio recording technology. The exhibit also features a Gibson Les Paul guitar, lent by Charlie Dzuba, President of the Les Paul at Iridium Fan Club. The Iridium is the legendary New York City club where Paul performed every week until shortly before he died. The spectacular guitar is signed by Les Paul and other musicians who performed with him at the Manhattan night spot.
The Les Paul exhibit will run through the end of the year. Located in the atrium of the Madison Building at 600 Dulany Street in Alexandria, Virginia, the National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum is easily accessible from the King Street and Eisenhower Avenue Metro stations (Blue Line and Yellow Line). The Museum is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. It is closed on Sundays and federal holidays. Admission is free of charge. USPTO Museum Info: (571) 272-0095.
Further information about the National Inventors Hall of Fame and Museum can be found at: http://www.invent.org/about_invent_now/4_3_1_ptomuseum.asp
