GYPSY CARNS

Les Paul, the guitar virtuoso and inventor who revolutionized music and created rock 'n' roll as surely as Elvis Presley and the Beatles by developing the solid-body electric guitar and multitrack recording, died Thursday at age 94. I have known Les for over 30 years through my association with Gibson Guitars. We first met at a Thanksgiving Party in 1976 when he came to Nashville to perform for the factory workers. That was the first time I had seen a duo of guitar and drums. Working for Gibson I had the privilidge to work on varoius events with Les for three decades, he was always full of piss and vinegar. He kept his humor up until the end and gigged until the day he died. The world mourns the loss of a great inventor, musician, and man.