RIP Les Paul

We've lost one of the big ones, folks:

Les Paul, the virtuoso guitarist and inventor whose solid-body electric guitar and recording studio innovations changed the course of 20th-century popular music, died Thursday in White Plains, N.Y. He was 94.

Rather than attempt to chronicle everything he has ever done, I'll just share a story of when I met Les in the early 90s.

I used to work at a music store in northern NJ, probably about 10-15 minutes from Mahwah, where Les lived at the time. One day they had Les come in to pose for a cover photo for the store's mail order catalog. After several people spoke with him, I walked up and told him what a pleasure it was to meet him. We chatted for a bit, and then I asked if he wouldn't mind giving me an autograph. He said, "Sure! Just get me something to write with!" So, I gave him a pen and a little piece of paper. He signed it, gave the paper back and I thanked him profusely.

When I got back to my desk, I looked at the paper and it said the following:

"Howdy! Les Paul"

I think that just about sums it all up.

Thanks, Les, for being such an inspiration.