In the car yesterday I half heard a story on NPR that mentioned Les Paul, the father of the electric guitar and multi-track recording. Then Bill brought this to my attention this morning.
Google’s logo yesterday was actually an interactive electric guitar – you can still go to Google and try your hand at playing it. Have fun – I did.
Given that, today’s oldie has to be Les Paul and Mary Ford. This is from 1953 and the guy introducing them is Robert Trout, later one of CBS News’ early anchors. Trout was one of “Murrow’s Boys”, the band of WWII radio reporters gathered after the war by Edward R. Murrow to work at CBS.
You can have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, or democracy. But you cannot have both.
Whatever Works 
Hello Moe,
Well, I took your advice and gave the Google guitar a try. That exercise proved beyond a shadow what I and many others have long suspected – I have NO musical ability.
Rats!
I really enjoyed the Paul/Ford clip, though. What ground breaking music!
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The first time, in childhood, that I heard that recording, I got giant goose bumps all over. Now, sixty years later, bigger kid/bigger goose bumps.
Les Paul’s is a story that has what the news boys call “legs.” His guitars are still the most coveted. Watch the 2011 CMA awards and you’d be correct to guess that the majority of the guitars on stage and in recording studios are Gibson/Les Paul’s
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Me too Nance, that recording more than most others brings me back to that time.
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I tried playing that Google guitar thingy, and it became excruciatingly clear that what I have heard all my life is true. I have no musical ability what-so-ever.
But, like Moe and Nance, that video did transport me back to another musical time – a time when music had a melody and lyrics that were understandable.
Holy crap, I must be getting old. I am sounding like my mother.
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Sorry about the double comments. I got a error message on the first try and didn’t think it took.
And, you know what “they” say – if at first you don’t succeed, keep trying until everybody gets pissed off.
I think I am through now.
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Hey Jon – cant’ count how many doubles I’ve posted – especially with this new comment system WP put up. I think it’s still in the Beta phase. HOpe they work it out.
Anyway we utlimately all become our parents – watching it happen is excrutiating! 🙂
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I guess it’s a day for comment problems – I’ve tried twice to comment at your place and say THANKS! I can’t tell if the comment got in – then again it may show up twice!
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