Coordinates	37°46′45.48″N122°25′9.12″N
Name	NAMM
Status	Active
Genre	Music
Venue	Anaheim, California
Location	Anaheim Convention Center
Country	USA
First	January 1901
Last	January 13-January 16, 2011
Organizer	NAMM
Filing	501(c)(3)
Attendance	87,569
Website	www.namm.org }}

The NAMM Show is one of the largest music product trade shows in the world, founded in 1901. It is held every January in Anaheim, California, USA, at the Anaheim Convention Center. Its only major competitor is the ''Musik Messe'' in Frankfurt.

NAMM is a trade-only business show catering to domestic and international dealers and distributors, and the product exhibits are an integral part of the show, allowing the dealers and distributors to see what's new, negotiate deals and plan their purchasing for the next 6 to 12 months. Only employees of the exhibiting manufacturers and/or NAMM member retailers and distributors are allowed to attend, along with credentialed members of the press. Exhibitors are alloted a specific number of badges based on the square footage of their booth, after which a $25 fee per badge is assessed. Dealers are allowed a certain number of badges based on different criteria.

The acronym NAMM originally stood for the National Association of Music Merchants, but has evolved from a national entity representing the interests of music products retailers to an international association including commercial, reseller members, affiliates and manufacturers.

The association’s other show, Summer NAMM, takes place in July in Nashville, TN, at the downtown Nashville Convention Center. The smaller Summer NAMM is approximately one quarter the size of the NAMM Show in January and focuses more on industry meetings and professional development courses than products. Recent reports indicated that the Summer NAMM show has suffered from declining attendance, as it has been cycled between Nashville, TN, Austin, TX and Indianapolis, IN during successive years.

References

External links

Category:Music industry associations Category:Audio equipment manufacturers Category:Trade shows in the United States Category:Culture of Anaheim, California Category:Music conferences

de:NAMM Show fr:National Association of Music Merchants Show ru:NAMM Show

Evan Brewer is an American electric bassist. He is the current bassist of the Technical Deathmetal band The Faceless. He is former member of Animosity and Reflux, which also featured virtuoso guitarist Tosin Abasi. He has a project Climaxes with Barry Donegan of Look What I Did, which is currently in the writing process according to MTV.COM Metal File. He has also filled in for A Life Once Lost and Terror (band) on tour, and he was the original bassist of the Nashville, Tennessee jamband Vinyl Soup.

Evan Brewer is an endorser of ESP basses. His main basses for solo performances are 2 5-string ESP basses with EMG pickups (both tuned E-A-D-G-C) and an Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray 4 string. He uses an Ampeg PF-500 head and an Ampeg cabinet for amplification. For effects, Brewer uses a rackmounted Line 6 Pod unit.

Discography

With Animosity

Hellraiser Demo (2003)

Shut It Down (2003)

Empires (2005)

Animal (2007)

Altered Beast (Aaron Spectre Animal remixes) (2008)

Bombs (2011)

With Reflux

The Illusion of Democracy (2004)

Solo

Alone (2011)

References

Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:American bass guitarists

Current Bassist for The Faceless

Coordinates	37°46′45.48″N122°25′9.12″N
name	Steve Vai
background	solo_singer
birth name	Steven Siro Vai
born	June 06, 1960Carle Place, New York, U.S.
instrument	Guitar, keyboards, vocals
genre	Instrumental rock, hard rock, heavy metal, progressive rock, progressive metal, experimental rock
years active	1980–present
label	Favored NationsRelativity RecordsUrantia Records Akashic RecordsEpic Records
associated acts	Joe Satriani, Frank Zappa, John Petrucci, Alcatrazz, Orianthi, David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, Dream Theater, Eddie Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Zappa plays Zappa, Billy Sheehan, G3, Bad4Good, Incubus, Devin Townsend
website	Official website
notable instruments	Ibanez JEMIbanez UniverseTom Anderson Drop Top Classic }}

Steven Siro "Steve" Vai (born June 6, 1960) is a three time Grammy Award-winning American virtuoso rock guitarist, composer and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. After starting his professional career as a music transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, Vai recorded and toured in Zappa's band for two years, from 1980 to 1982. The guitarist began a solo career in 1983 and has released 8 of his own solo albums since. Apart from his work with Frank Zappa, Vai has also recorded and toured with Public Image Ltd., Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth, and Whitesnake. Vai has been a regular touring member of the G3 Concert Tour which began in 1996. In 1999 Vai started his own record label, Favored Nations, intending to showcase, as Vai describes, ''"...artists that have attained the highest performance level on their chosen instruments."''

Career

1970s and 1980s

Vai began playing guitar in 1973, at the age of 13. In 1974, he took guitar lessons from guitarist Joe Satriani, and played in numerous local bands, one of which was called "The Steve Vais." He acknowledged the influence of many guitarists including Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Brian May, Jimmy Page, Glen Buxton, and jazz fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth. Vai followed those lessons by attending the Berklee College of Music, afterwards recording a promotional piece for them in which he spoke about auditioning for Frank Zappa at age twenty. Vai mailed Frank Zappa a transcription of Zappa's "The Black Page", an instrumental for drums, along with a tape with some of Vai's guitar playing. Zappa was so impressed that, in 1979, he hired him to transcribe a number of his guitar solos, including some on the ''Joe's Garage'' album and the ''Shut Up 'n' Play Yer Guitar'' series. These transcriptions were published in 1982 in ''The Frank Zappa Guitar Book''.

Subsequent to being hired as a transcriber, Vai did overdubs on many of the guitar parts for Zappa's album ''You Are What You Is''. Thereafter he became a full-fledged band member, going on his first tour with Zappa in the autumn of 1980. One of those early shows with Vai on guitar, recorded in Buffalo, was released in 2007. While touring with Zappa's band, Vai sometimes asked audience members to bring musical scores and see if he could sight-read them on the spot. Zappa referred to Vai as his "little Italian virtuoso" and listed him in the liner notes as performing "stunt guitar" or "impossible guitar parts." Later, Vai was a featured artist on the 1993 recording ''Zappa's Universe''. In 2006 he returned to Frank Zappa's music as a special guest on Dweezil Zappa's 'Zappa Plays Zappa' tour, alongside friends from his early years with Zappa.

After leaving Zappa in 1982 he moved to California, where he recorded his first album, ''Flex-Able'', in 1983 and performed in a couple of bands. In 1985 he replaced Yngwie Malmsteen as lead guitarist in Graham Bonnet's Alcatrazz, with whom he recorded the album ''Disturbing the Peace''. Later in 1985, he joined former Van Halen front man David Lee Roth's group to record the albums ''Eat 'Em and Smile'' and ''Skyscraper''.

In 1986, Vai played with John Lydon's Public Image Ltd on their album ''Album'' (also known as ''Compact Disc'' or ''Cassette''). Then, in 1989, Vai joined Whitesnake, replacing Vivian Campbell. When Adrian Vandenberg injured his wrist shortly before recording was to begin for the album ''Slip of the Tongue'', Vai played all the guitar parts. Vai also played on the Alice Cooper album ''Hey Stoopid'', along with Joe Satriani on the song "Feed my Frankenstein."

1990s and 2000s

Vai continues to tour regularly, with his own group and with his one-time teacher and fellow guitar instrumentalist friend Joe Satriani on the G3 series of tours. Former David Lee Roth and Mr. Big bassist Billy Sheehan also joined him for a world tour. In 1990, Vai released his critically acclaimed solo album ''Passion and Warfare''

The song "For the Love of God" was voted #29 in a readers' poll of the 100 greatest guitar solos of all time in ''Guitar World'' Magazine.

In 1994 Vai began writing and recording with Ozzy Osbourne. Only one track from these sessions, "My Little Man", was released on the ''Ozzmosis'' album. Despite Vai penning the track he does not appear on the album. His guitar parts were replaced by Zakk Wylde. Another track, "Dyin' Day", appeared as an instrumental on Vai's ''Fire Garden'' album. Vai's band members in the 90's included drummer Mike Mangini, guitarist Mike Keneally, and bassist Philip Bynoe. In 1994 Vai received a Grammy Award for his performance on the Frank Zappa song ''Sofa'' from the album ''Zappa's Universe''.

Steve Vai released a DVD of his performance at The Astoria in London in December, 2001. The performance featured Billy Sheehan, guitarist/pianist Tony MacAlpine, guitarist Dave Weiner, and Australian drummer Virgil Donati.

In July 2002, Steve Vai performed with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Japan, in the world premiere of composer Ichiro Nodaira's ''Fire Strings'', a concerto for electric guitar and 100-piece orchestra.

In 2004, a number of his compositions and orchestral arrangements including some previously recorded pieces, were performed in The Netherlands by the Metropole Orchestra in a concert series entitled ''The Aching Hunger''. In 2003, drummer Jeremy Colson joined Vai's group, replacing Virgil Donati. Vai's latest album, ''Sound Theories'', was released in 2007.

In February 2005, Vai premiered a dual-guitar (electric and classical) piece that he called ''The Blossom Suite'', with classical guitarist Sharon Isbin at the Châtelet Theatre in Paris. In 2006, Vai played as a special guest guitarist alongside additional guest Zappa band members, drummer Terry Bozzio, guitarist-singer Ray White, and saxophonist-singer Napoleon Murphy Brock in the "Zappa Plays Zappa" tour led by Frank's son Dweezil Zappa in Europe and the U.S. in the Spring, as well as a short U.S. tour in October.

On September 21, 2006, Vai made a special appearance at the ''Video Games Live'' concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California. He played two songs with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra; ''Halo Theme'', and a second song for the world premier trailer for Halo 3.

Steve Vai made an appearance at the London Guitar Show in 2007 on the April 28, 2007 at the ExCeL Center. In late April 2007, Vai confirmed the release of his most recent record, ''Sound Theories'', on June 26. The release is a two-CD set, mostly of previously released material that Vai rearranged and played with a full orchestra. Vai says the project was a great joy because he considers himself a composer more than a guitarist, and he is happy to see music he has composed played by an orchestra that can play it well. A DVD followed the record later that year. He guested on the Dream Theater album, ''Systematic Chaos'', on the song "Repentance". The appearance was vocal rather than instrumental, as Vai was only one of many musical guests recorded. The song features contributions from many artists, with the aim of apologizing to important people in their lives for wrongdoings committed in their pasts. On August 29, 2009, he appeared on stage with Dream Theater during the final show of their Progressive Nation tour at the Greek Theater, where he performed in an improvised jam with the other musicians on tour. ''Broken Records'' magazine (Volume 1, Issue 3) quotes Vai as saying, "I enjoy challenging myself to come up with new ideas that I believe are unique."

In 2010, Vai released several "VaiTunes" singles of tracks that were previously recorded and later finished. They are available on www.vai.com, iTunes and Amazon.com. On September 14, 2010, Steve released "Where The Wild Things Are" as double vinyl through his label Favored Nations and made a guest appearance with Rickey Minor and The Tonight Show Band on NBC. In October, 2010 Steve completed his first full symphony and performed the compositions at the Steve Vai Festival which featured Vai and the North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra (NNO) on October 20–24, 2010. Immediately after the Holland shows, Steve embarked for the US to headline the "Experience Hendrix Tour" which features Eric Johnson, Kenny Wayne Shephard, Susan Tedeschi, Billy Cox, Vernon Reid, Robert Randolph, Johnny Lang, Brad Whitford and other top-notch guitarists.

On March 3, 2011 the online education division of Boston’s renowned Berklee College of Music and Steve Vai, set the Guinness® World Record for the world’s largest online guitar lesson. This first-of-its-kind initiative, held at streaming media platform Livestream Studios in New York City, brought together thousands of members of the international guitar community in a celebration of online music education.

Berkleemusic and Steve Vai have also co-authored a new twelve-week online course: Steve Vai Guitar Techniques. This online course, presents students with the chance to gain a deep understanding of Vai’s death-defying playing styles, repertoire, techniques, and musical concepts from anywhere in the world, and to incorporate their learnings into their own playing.

Video games

"Juice" was featured on the 1996 video game "Formula One" for the PlayStation.

In 1998, "Erotic Nightmares" was featured as the menu music in the video game WCW/nWo Revenge for the Nintendo 64.

Steve Vai's guitar-work appeared in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. David Lee Roth's "Yankee Rose" was featured on the game's soundtrack as well as "God Blessed Video" by Alcatrazz as part of the Lazlow-led, 1980s rock/metal radio station "V-Rock."

In 2004, Steve Vai was featured on Xbox's ''Halo 2'' (a game by Bungie Studios) Volume 1 soundtrack, performing a heavy rock-guitar rendition of the ''Halo theme'', known as ''Halo Theme (MJOLNIR Mix)''. He also performed on the track ''Never Surrender''. He later featured in the second volume of the soundtrack, where he performed on the track ''Reclaimer''.

In 2008, Steve Vai's ''For the Love of God'' and ''Halo Theme (MJOLNIR Mix)'' were featured as downloadable tracks for the game ''Guitar Hero 3''. A live version of the song "For the Love of God" was also available at release on the Rock Band Network as well as the song "Get the Hell Out of Here" from his 2002 album "The Elusive Light and Sound, Vol. 1" on March 4, 2010.

A re-recording of "Speeding" is featured in the 2010 video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock for Xbox 360, Wii and Playstation 3.

Movies

Steve Vai's music has appeared in a number of feature films, including ''Dudes'' and ''Ghosts of Mars''. He appeared onscreen in the 1986 Walter Hill film ''Crossroads'', playing the demonically-inspired Jack Butler. At the film's climax, Vai engages in a guitar duel with Ralph Macchio, whose guitar parts were dubbed by Vai and also Ry Cooder, who played the initial slide work in the duel and Macchio's earlier performances in the film. Vai also composed the fast-paced neo-classical track ''Eugene's Trick Bag'' that wins Macchio the competition. He based the body of the piece heavily on Paganini's Capriccio number 5. He later borrowed the opening riff from the track ''Head Cuttin' Duel'' for a song called ''Bad Horsie'' from his 1995 EP ''Alien Love Secrets''. Later, the ''Crossroads'' duel reappeared on the 2002 album ''The Elusive Light and Sound, volume 1''.

In 1991's ''Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey'', the introductory riff to KISS' "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II", as performed by the Wyld Stallyns in the Battle of the Bands, was performed by Vai. He also composed and performed the soundtrack to ''PCU'' (1994), and made contributions in 2001 to the score for John Carpenter's ''Ghosts of Mars'', performing on the tracks "Ghosts of Mars" and "Ghost Poppin'". His track, "I'm the Hell Outta Here", can be heard during 1992's ''Encino Man'' in the scene where Brendan Fraser is taking a driving lesson. He plays guitar in the animated short film "Live Music".

Playing style

Vai is a virtuoso in the world of guitar music. His 1990 album ''Passion and Warfare'' and the ballad ''For the Love of God'' in particular received a significant amount of press and are often cited by critics and fans alike as among his best work, often noted since the entire piece, at just over six minutes, was reportedly recorded in one take.

Vai's playing style has been characterized as quirky and angular, due in large measure to his technical ability with the guitar instrument and deep knowledge of music theory. He regularly uses odd rhythmic groupings and his melodies often employ the Lydian mode. Perhaps his most readily-identifiable stylistic feature is his creative use of the floating vibrato, using it to add melodic lines that sound odd to the ear. His playing can also be described as lyrical, as if sung by a human voice. During the recording of "Eat 'em and Smile," with David Lee Roth, he employed several guitar techniques that "mimicked" the human voice, as heard in the opening bars of the opening track "Yankee Rose." He often uses exotic guitars: he plays both double and triple neck guitars (including a custom-made heart-shaped triple-neck model built by luthier Joe Despagni). Vai is regarded as the first to use the 7-string guitar in a rock context. Along with Ibanez, he designed a signature 7-string guitar, the Ibanez Universe, in 1989. He is also noted for being physically expressive as he plays his guitar.

On Composing/The "Evo Era"

“I wanted to be a composer ever since I was a young boy. To me written music on paper was (and is) beautiful. It looked like art and I wanted to have a complete understanding of how to speak, read and write that language. I knew that through the little black dots I could get the music that was in my head out into the world. Though the guitar fell into my lap and my fingers were glued to the instrument, I studied composition and musical notation long before I even started playing the guitar. Through high school, college and beyond, I kept up my studies and kept composing through the years as I felt my eventual calling was in the compositional world. Although I have listened to and studied most of the great older and contemporary composers, when I compose my music I take a similar approach as to when I am developing my voice on the guitar and that's to find and cultivate ideas that I have not heard before. That's the exciting part!

Once you understand the written language of music and the possibilities and limitations of various instruments, composing music is pure liberation. It's an art form that allows for deep personal expression. For me composing is the ultimate playground for my imagination. And to have the opportunity to hear your music performed is the greatest gift a composer could hope for, provided it's performed correctly.

I feel that my task is to merge my authentic rock sensibilities with my orchestrational skills to create a brand of contemporary music that is unique and fulfilling on an emotional and melodic level for the listener. Although rock musicians have worked with orchestras and contemporary composers have written for rock band instruments, I believe the catalog of music that I am building in this field is not what would be expected from either. I'm very excited about this brand and hope to inspire other composers to walk their own parallel lines within this movement. I call this movement "Evo", short for evolution. As it has been in the past through all of history, the 21st century will see a whole new wave of orchestral musical awareness develop. We are now entering the "Evo Era." -Steve Vai

Equipment

Vai is also a producer. He owns two studios ("The Mothership" and "The Harmony Hut" ), and his own recordings combine his guitar skills and novel compositions with studio and recording effects.

Vai helped design his signature Ibanez JEM guitar series. They feature a hand grip (fondly referred to as a "monkey grip") cut into the top of the body of the guitar, a humbucker–single coil-humbucker (H/S/H) DiMarzio pickup configuration with several different types of pickup including Evolution, Breed and EVO 2. He also uses the Ibanez Edge and Lo-Pro Edge double-locking tremolo systems (the current production JEMs have the newer Edge Pro), as well as an elaborate and extensive "Tree of Life" inlay down the neck. Vai also equips many of his guitars with an Ibanez Backstop, a tremolo stabilizer that has been discontinued. Lately Vai has also equipped some of his guitars with True Temperament fretboards to make his chords sound more in tune. Vai also has a 7-string model designed by him named Ibanez Universe, featuring DiMarzio Blaze II pickups in an HSH arrangement. The Universe later influenced the 7-string guitars used by Korn and other bands to create nu metal sounds in the late 1990s. He also has a signature Ibanez acoustic, the Euphoria. Before Ibanez, he briefly endorsed Jackson guitars, but this relationship only lasted two years. His two main guitars are white JEMs dubbed "Evo" and "Flo", each with their own unique modifications.

Steve Vai has also worked with Carvin Guitars and Pro Audio to develop the Carvin Legacy line of guitar amplifiers. Vai wanted to create an affordable amp that was unique, and equal in sound and versatility to any guitar amp he had previously used. Over his long musical career, Steve Vai has used and designed an array of guitars. He even had his blood put into the swirl paint job on one of his signature JEM guitars, the JEM2KDNA. Only 300 of these were made. Currently, he mainly uses his white "Evo", a JEM7V, and his "Flo", which is a customized Floral JEM 77FP painted white. They are both inscribed with their names in two places, mainly so he can distinguish between them onstage. "Flo" is equipped with a Fernandes sustainer system.

He also has a guitar named "Mojo" with dot inlays that are blue LED lights. Additionally, he has a custom-made triple-neck guitar that has the same basic features as his JEM7V guitars. The top neck is a 12-string guitar, the middle is a six-string, and the bottom is a six-string fretless guitar with a Fernandes Sustainer pickup. This guitar was featured on the G3 2003 tour on the piece ''I Know You're Here''. Vai's effects pedals include a modified Boss DS-1, Ibanez Tube Screamer, Morley Bad Horsie, Ibanez Jemini Twin Distortion Pedal, TC Electronics G-System, Morley Little Alligator Volume pedal, DigiTech Whammy, and an MXR Phase 90/Phase 100 on the Passion and Warfare album. His flight cases are labeled "Mr. Vai", or lately, "Dr. Vai." He has used a number of rack effects units controlled via MIDI, but used a floor-based TC electronics G system instead for the Zappa Plays Zappa tour.

Philanthropy

In 2005, Vai signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization that provides free musical instruments and instruction to children in public schools throughout the U.S. He sits on LKR's Honorary Board of Directors.

Vai was a judge for the 3rd and 8th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists.

Vai is also the founder of the Make A Noise Foundation, which he started with his manager Ruta Sepetys. The foundation's goal is to provide funding for music education and programs for those unable to pursue music-related activities due to limited resources. Vai is also a patron of music education around the world giving master classes in such prestigious music schools as the Fermatta Music Academy.

Favored Nations

Vai owns Favored Nations, a recording and publishing company that specializes in internationally procuring and maintaining recording artists. Favored Nations is separated into three sections, 'Favored Nations', 'Favored Nations Acoustic' and 'Favored Nations Cool (Jazz style)'.

Personal life

Resides in Encino, CA with his family. Vai is married to Pia Maiocco, former bass player of Vixen, who can be seen in ''Hardbodies''. Vai and Maiocco have two children, Julian and Fire. In his spare time Vai is an avid beekeeper. and an honorary member of the British Beekeepers' Association. His bees regularly produce a crop of honey that Vai sells for his Make a Noise Foundation.

Vai is also a longtime vegetarian. "It has affected my music in a way I believe that what we put in our bodies has a reflection on the way we think," Vai told Veggies Rock. "And the way we think has a reflection on what we create. So I can’t tell you consciously how being a vegetarian affected my music but I’m sure it has." Many fans have been surprised to learn about his vegetarianism because he does not openly preach about it. "I think everyone has to find what’s right for them. I don’t judge anybody for what they eat. That’s their world and everybody has to find what resonates with them."

Band history (not including guest appearances)

More Info on www.vai.com

Young Bands

Hot Chocolate (1967)

The Ohio Express (1971–1972)

Circus (circa 1973 to 1976)

Ravge (circa 1973 to 1976)

Bold As Love (1977)

Berklee Bands

Axis (1978–1979)

Morning Thunder (1979)

Professional Bands

Frank Zappa (1980–1982)

The Out Band (Circa 1983)

The Classified (1984)

777 (1984)

Alcatrazz (1985)

David Lee Roth (1985–1989)

Whitesnake (1989–1991)

Solo Band (Since 1992)

1992-94 (VAI)

"Sex & Religion" Album:

Vocals: Devin Townsend

Guitar: Steve Vai

Bass: TM Stevens

Drums: Terry Bozzio

"Sex & Religion" Tour:

Vocals: Devin Townsend

Guitar: Steve Vai

Bass: Scott Thunes

Keys: Will Riley

Drums: Abe Laboriel, Jr., then Toss Panos

1995

Guitar: Steve Vai

Bass: Tony Pimental, then Scott Thunes

Keys: Will Riley

Drums: Chris Frazier

''This band toured Russia twice, South America and the US (opening for Bon Jovi).''

1996-99

Guitar, Vocals: Steve Vai

Guitar, Vocals and Keys: Mike Keneally

Bass, Vocals: Philip Bynoe

Drums: Mike Mangini

2000

Guitar, Vocals: Steve Vai

Guitar, Vocals and Keys: Mike Keneally

Guitar: Dave Weiner

Bass, Vocals: Philip Bynoe

Drums: Mike Mangini

Keyboards (South American Tour): Eric Goldberg

Drums (South American Tour): Chris Frazier

2001-02

Guitar, Vocals: Steve Vai

Bass, Vocals: Billy Sheehan

Guitar, Vocals and Keys: Mike Keneally, then Tony MacAlpine

Guitar: Dave Weiner

Drums: Virgil Donati

2003-04

Guitar, Vocals: Steve Vai

Bass, Vocals: Billy Sheehan

Guitar, Vocals and Keys: Tony MacAlpine

Guitar: Dave Weiner

Drums: Jeremy Colson

Discography (Solo)

Studio Albums & EPs

!Year	!Type	!Album	!Info
1984	LP	''Flex-Able''
1984	EP	''Flex-Able Leftovers''	Leftovers from the Flex-Able session
1990	CD	''Passion and Warfare''	Gold (USA), #18 on the Billboard 200 on June 30, 1990
1993	CD
1995	EP	''Alien Love Secrets''
1996	CD	''Fire Garden''
1998	CD		re-release of the limited edition 10” vinyl "Flex-Able Leftovers" With bonus tracks
1999	CD	''The Ultra Zone''
2005	CD	''Real Illusions: Reflections''

Live & Orchestral Albums (Inc. G3 (tour))

!Year	!Album	!Info
1997	''G3: Live in Concert''	Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson
2001	''Alive in an Ultra World''
2004	''G3: Rockin' in the Free World''	Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen
2004		The audio contained on this disc is the same audio contained on the DVD : Live at the Astoria, London
2005	''G3: Live in Tokyo''	Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, John Petrucci
2007	''Sound Theories Vol. I & II''	Orchestral Album from 5 European performances, a studio session and a soundcheck rehearsal recording (between 2004 and 2005)
2009		Orchestral DVD & CD recorded and filmed at the State Theatre in Minneapolis, MN as part of Vai’s “Sound Theories” world tour
2010		12 Tracks Bonus CD from "Where the wild thing are" DVD not included in the 2009 CD released

Other

!Year	!Album	!Info
1998	"Bad Squad"	''promo 2-tracks CD from Morley to promote the Bad Horsie wah pedal.''
2005	''"Naked Tracks"''	This five cd package contains a large selection of tracks from the Vai catalog that have been mixed without the main lead and melody guitar tracks

Compilations

!Year	!Album	!Info
2000		Compilation of the 7th song of Steve's Albums, and 3 tracks previously unreleased.
2001	''The Secret Jewel Box''	''10 CD Collector Box''
2001		Not Sold Separately / Vol.3 of The Secret Jewel Box
2002	''The Elusive Light and Sound, volume 1''	Re-released of the Vol.1 of The Secret Jewel Box''This disc collects Vai’s many contributions to film music''
2003		Compilation of Steve's bonus tracks featured on Japanese releases of his CDs, along with promotional tracks, songs featured on other albums and unreleased/demo tracks / Vol.4 of The Secret Jewel Box
2003		Collection of songs Steve has contributed to other projects and records. / Vol.5 of The Secret Jewel Box
2003	''The Infinite Steve Vai: An Anthology''	A career-spanning collection of 32 digitally remastered tracks over 2CDs (including work with other artists such as Alcatrazz and Whitesnake).
2004	''"Vai: Piano Reductions, Vol. 1"'' (by Mike Keneally)	This is an album of 11 solo acoustic piano interpretations of Vai songs by Mike Keneally / Vol.6 of The Secret Jewel Box
2008	''Steve Vai Original Album Classics''
2010	Playlist: The Very Best of Steve Vai
2011	The Essential Steve Vai

Discography (With Other Artists)

With Band (As Lead Guitarist)

!Year	!Artist	!Album	!RIAA
1985	Alcatrazz	''Disturbing the Peace''
1985	Public Image Ltd.
1986
1986	David Lee Roth	''Eat 'Em and Smile''	Platinum
1988	David Lee Roth		Platinum
1989	Whitesnake	''Slip of the Tongue''	3x Platinum
1994	Whitesnake	''Whitesnake's Greatest Hits''	Platinum
1997	David Lee Roth
1999
2000	Whitesnake	''The Back to Black Collection''
2010	Alcatrazz	''Disturbing the Peace Tour Live in Japan 1984.10.10 Audio Tracks''

Appearances on Zappa albums

!Year	!Album	!Credit
1981	''Tinseltown Rebellion''	Rhythm guitar, vocals
1981	''Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar''	Rhythm guitar
1981	''You Are What You Is''	Guitar
1982	''Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch''	"Impossible Guitar parts"
1983	''The Man from Utopia''	Guitar parts
1984	''Them or Us''	Guitar
1984	''Thing-Fish''	Guitar, vocals
1985	''Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention''	Guitar
1987	''Jazz from Hell''	Guitar
1988		Stunt guitar
1988	''You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore Sampler''	Stunt guitar
1988	''You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1''	Stunt guitar
1989	''You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3''	Stunt guitar
1991	''You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4''	Stunt guitar, vocals
1991		Stunt guitar
1992	''You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 5''	Stunt guitar
1992	''You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6''	Stunt guitar
1995	''Strictly Commercial''	Guitar
1997	''Have I Offended Someone?''	Guitar
1998		Guitar
1999	''Son of Cheep Thrills''	Guitar, vocals
2001	''FZ Original Recordings; Steve Vai Archives, Vol. 2''(Only available as Vol.3 in The Secret Jewel Box)	"strat abuse" and "impossible guitar parts."
2008		Guitar

Appearances, Featuring (With Other Lead Artists)

!Year	!Artist	!Album	!Info	!RIAA
1983	Lisa Popeil	''Lisa Popeil''	Steve performs on "What You're After", "You Can't Take It Away", "For A Time", "Don't Turn Me Off And On", "I Don't Get It", "The Viper", "Love In My Life", "Perfect Woman"
1985	Heresy	''At The Door''	Steve performs on "London : 1941" and "Wasted Moments"
1986		''The Great Nostalgia''	Steve performs on the track "Autumn in Nepal" & "There's Still Hope"
1986	Randy Coven	''Funk Me Tender''	Steve performs on the track "Funk Me Tender"
1987	Danny Mendez	''Death to All Mankind''	No Information
1986	Western Vacation	''Western Vacation''	Steve performs on the track "Western Vacation" (under the name "Reckless Fable")
1990		''The Best of Dreams''	Steve performs on "Supergirl" / This is a greatest hits CD
1991	Alice Cooper	''Hey Stoopid''	Steve performs with Joe Satriani on "Feed My Frankenstein"
1995	Ozzy Osbourne	''Ozzmosis''	Steve did not play guitar on this album. He Co-Wrote the song ''"My Little Man"''	2x Platinum
1996		''Cryin'''	Steve performs on "Let It Go"
1997	Munetaka Higuchi with Dream Castle	''Free World''	Steve plays guitar and bass on the track "Speed"
1998	Gregg Bissonette	''Gregg Bissonette''	Steve performs on "Common Road"
1998	Al Di Meola	''The Infinite Desire''	Steve performs on "Race with the Devil on Turkish Highway"
2000	Gregg Bissonette		Steve performs on the track "Noah's Ark"
2000	Thana Harris	''Thanatopsis''	Steve performs on the track "Fingers"
2000	Andrew Dice Clay	''Face Down, Ass Up''	No information
2001	Robin DiMaggio		Steve performs on the track "Mallorca" with L. Shankar
2001	Billy Sheehan		Steve Vai appears on the track "Chameleon"
2002	Tak Matsumoto	''Hana''	No information
2003	Surinder Sandhu	''Saurang Orchestra''	Steve Vai performs on the tracks "Amirah", The Little Hindu", "Movement One: Twice Born", "Movement Two: Sunday Morning in Calcutta", "Movement Three: Tradition of the New"
2002	Girls Together Outrageously (G.T.O)	"I'll Be Around" (SINGLE)	GTO (Girls Together Outrageously) is a Dutch trio who released a cover version of Steve's song "I'll Be Around". The CD single features a Radio Version (3:28) and an Extended Version (4:40). Steve performs the guitar solo on the Radio Version.
2003	Eric Sardinas	''Black Pearls''	Steve Vai performs on the track "Green Tea"
2003	Steve Lukather & Friends	''Santamental''	Steve Vai is featured on the track "Carol of the Bells"
2003	Hughes Turner Project	''HTP 2''	Steve Vai appears on the track "Losing My Head"
2003		''One in a Million''	Steve Vai performs on the track "Out Of My Mind"
2003	Yardbirds		Steve Vai performs on the track "Shapes of Things"
2004	Motörhead		Steve appears on the tracks "Terminal Show" and "Down On Me"
2004	Bob Carpenter	''The Sun, The Moon, The Stars''	This CD features a piano interpretation of “Whispering a Prayer”. It also features Steve Vai on acoustic guitar and Pia Vai on harp.
2005		''Songs for Sanity''	Steve appears on the song "Perineum"
2006	The Devin Townsend Band	''Synchestra''	Steve performs an extended guitar solo on the third track "Triumph"
2006			Steve performs on the song "Viper"
2006	Meat Loaf	''Bat out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose''	Steve performs on the song "In the Land of the Pig, the Butcher is King"	Gold
2007	Dream Theater	''Systematic Chaos''	Guest spoken words on "Repentance"
2007	Eros Ramazzotti		Steve performs on, produced and re-recorded the track "Dove C'e' Musica" on this album
2008	Jason Becker
2009			Steve performs on the song "Short And Sweet"
2009	Mike Stern	''Big Neighborhood''	Steve performs guitar on "Big Neighborhood" and sitar on "Moroccan Roll"
2009	Orianthi		Steve appears on and co-wrote the song "Highly Strung"
2010	Meat Loaf	''Hang Cool Teddy Bear''	Steve performs on "Love Is Not Real/Next Time You Stab Me in the Back" & "Song of Madness"

Soundtracks

!Year	!Soundtrack	!Type	!Info
1986		Motion Picture Soundtrack	All part played by Steve on "The Elusive Light and Sound, Vol. 1"
1987		Motion Picture Soundtrack	Steve performs "Amazing Grace" / This OST is out of printAlso on "The Elusive Light and Sound, Vol. 1"
1987		Motion Picture Soundtrack
1991		Motion Picture Soundtrack	Steve performs the tracks "The Reaper" and "The Reaper Rap" and a few tracks which are not in the OSTAlso on "The Elusive Light and Sound, Vol. 1"
1992		Motion Picture Soundtrack	Steve performs with Joe Satriani on Alice Cooper's "Feed My Frankenstein"
1992	''Encino Man''	Motion Picture Soundtrack	Steve performs the track "Get The Hell Out Of Here"
1994		Motion Picture Soundtrack	Steve scored this film, and contributed the track "Now We Run" to this soundtrack
1997	''Formula 1''	Video Game Soundtrack
2001	''Ghosts of Mars''	Motion Picture Soundtrack	Steve Vai performs on "Ghosts of Mars" and "Ghost Poppin'"
2004		Video Game Soundtrack	Steve Vai performs on "Halo Theme Mjolnir Mix" and "Never Surrender"
2006		Video Game Soundtrack	Steve Vai performs on "Reclaimer"
2008		Video Game Soundtrack	Steve Vai song "For The Love Of God"

Compilations

!Year	!Artists	!Compilation	!Info
1989	Various	''Guitar's Practicing Musicians''	Steve plays guitar on the track "Western Vacation" as Reckless Fable
1993	Various	''Zappa's Universe'' (Tribute to Frank Zappa)	Steve plays guitar on "Sofa" & "Dirty Love"
1995	Various	''In From The Storm''(The music of Jimi Hendrix)	Steve appears on "Drifting" and "Bold as Love"
1996	Various	''Songs of West Side Story''	Steve appears on "The Rumble" (Steve Vai's Monsters vs. Chick Corea's Elektric Band)
1997	Various	''Merry Axemas: A Guitar Christmas''	Steve performs on the gorgeous "Christmas Time is Here" (with Joe Satriani, Jeff Beck, Eric Johnson and more...)
1997	Various		Steve performs on "Der Holle Rache (Queen of the Night)". This album also features Steve Stevens and Eric Johnson
1999	Various	''Radio Disney Kid Jams''	Steve performs the track "Wipe Out"
2001	Various		Steve performs the tracks "Cliffs of Insanity" and "Misfits"
2002	Various	''Guitars For Freedom''	Steve contributed the track "Amazing Grace" to this benefit CD
2002	Various	''Warmth In The Wilderness Vol. II – A Tribute to Jason Becker''	Steve Vai performs the track "Feathers"
2004	Various	''The Sounds Of Nascar''	Steve is featured on the previously unreleased track "Rush" (Only on "iTunes Music Store")
2006	Various	''Monsters of Rock'' (EMI, 3CD compilation)	Steve performs with Whitesnake the song "Fool for Your Loving"

Videos

Live

!Year	!Type	!Album	!Artist	!Info
1995	VHS / DVD		Steve Vai	Features full performances of all seven songs from the album Alien Love Secrets.
1997	VHS / DVD	''"G3: Live in Concert"''	Joe Satriani / Steve Vai / Eric Johnson	Steve plays on six tracks (three solo and three with Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson.)
2003	DVD	Live at the Astoria, London	Steve Vai	Steve's first live solo DVD. Filmed at the Astoria, London UK on December 6 & 7, 2001.
2004	DVD	''"G3: Live in Denver"''	Joe Satriani / Steve Vai / Yngwie Malmsteen	Steve performs on 3 tracks & 3 jam Tracks
2005	DVD	''"G3: Live in Tokyo"''	Joe Satriani / Steve Vai / John Petrucci	Steve performs on 6 tracks
2007	DVD	''"Visual Sound Theories"''	Steve Vai	This DVD features the live performances from the Aching Hunger concerts with the Holland Metropole Orchestra in July 2005.

With Other Artists

!Year	!Type	!Album	!Artist	!Info
1982	VHS / DVD	''"The Dub Room Special"''	Frank Zappa	Steve appears 58 minutes into this video performing "Stevie's Spanking" (from The Palladium, NYC show on October 31, 1981)
1985	VHS	''"Power Live"''	Alcatrazz	Live concert recorded at Shinjuku Kousei Nenkin Hall (Japan) on 10/10/84.
1986	VHS	''"David Lee Roth"''	David Lee Roth	Steve performs on "Yankee Rose" and "Goin' Crazy!". There is also an alternate video take for Steve's guitar solo during the "Goin' Crazy!" video.
1987	VHS	''"Video from Hell"''	Frank Zappa	Steve appears 11:15 minutes into this video performing "Stevie's Spanking." (Rome, Italy - July 10, 1982)
1989	VHS	''"The True Story of 200 Motels"''	Frank Zappa	Steve appears 41:33 minutes into this video - in a brief interview shot on July 14, 1982 in Palermo, Sicily.
1990	VHS	''"Metal Head Vol.2"''	BMG Video Magazine	This hard to find "video magazine" features an interview with Steve.
1993	VHS / DVD	''"Zappa's Universe: A Celebration of 25 Years of Frank Zappa's Music"''	Various Artists	Steve performs on "Dirty Love" (with Dweezil), and "Sofa", a performance that won a Grammy.
1997	VHS / DVD	''"7th Heaven video by Ibanez"''	Ibanez Various Artists	Ibanez promotional-only video includes commentary and music from Steve Vai, Head & Munky from Korn, John Petrucci, Dino Cazares, Andy Timmons, Wes Borland, Jerry Sims.
2003	DVD	''"Rockthology"''	Various Artists	This video compilation features the "I Would Love To" promo video.
2003	DVD	''"The Satch Tapes"''(Originally released on VHS in 1993)	Joe Satriani	This DVD re-release features a brief interview with Steve circa 1992.
2004	DVD	''"Crossroads Guitar Festival"''	Various Artists	Steve and the band performing “Get The Hell Outta Here.

Movies (As an Actor)

!Year	!Type	!Album	!Artist	!Info
1986	VHS / DVD		Columbia Tristar (Movie)	Steve appears in this movie as "Jack Butler", a devil guitarist
2005	DVD	"Bill & Ted's Most Excellent Collection"	MGM Video	Bonus Feature : “Score! An Interview With Guitarist Steve Vai.”
2008	DVD		FN Crazy Film LLC	Steve appears in this movie as "Hank Williams"
2008	DVD			Steve appears in this movie as himself
2009	TV	''"Metalocalypse"''	Animated TV Series	Steve appears as guest Voice on ep.39 "Renovationklok" & ep.40 "Tributeklok"

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

|- | 1990 | ''Passion & Warfare'' | Best Rock Instrumental Album | |- | 1994 | "Sofa" from ''Zappa's Universe'' | Best Rock Instrumental Performance | |- | 1995 | "Tender Surrender" from ''Alien Love Secrets'' | Best Rock Instrumental Performance | |- | 1997 | "For the Love of God" from ''G3: Live in Concert'' | Best Rock Instrumental Performance | |- | 1999 | "Windows to the Soul" from ''The Ultra Zone'' | Best Rock Instrumental Performance | |- | rowspan=2 | 2001 | "Whispering a Prayer" from ''Alive in an Ultra World'' | Best Rock Instrumental Performance | |- | ''No Substitutions'' | Best Pop Instrumental Album | |- | 2006 | "Lotus Feet" | Best Rock Instrumental Performance | |- | 2008 | "The Attitude Song" | Best Rock Instrumental Performance | |- | 2009 | "Peaches En Regalia" from ''Zappa Plays Zappa'' | Best Rock Instrumental Performance | |- | 2010 | "Now We Run" from ''Where the Wild Things Are'' | Best Rock Instrumental Performance | |}

''Guitar Player'' magazine

1995 Gallery of Greats

1995 Best Rock Guitarist (Tie with Jimmy Page)

1995 Best Overall Guitarist - 3rd Place

1995 Best Experimental Guitarist (tie with Buckethead)

1995 Best Metal Recording - 3rd Place

1995 Best Overall Guitar Recording - 2nd Place

1995 Best Metal Guitarist - 3rd Place

1990 Best Rock Guitarist

1990 Best Overall Guitarist

1990 Best Guitar Album

1990 Best Metal Guitarist

1989 Best Rock Guitarist

1988 Best Rock Guitarist

1987 Best Rock Guitarist

1987 Best Overall Guitarist

1986 Best Rock Guitarist

''Guitar World''

1990 Most Valued Player (tie with Stevie Ray Vaughan)

1990 Best Album

1990 Best Rock Guitarist

1990 Best Guitar Solo (For the Love of God)

1989 Best Rock Guitarist

International Music Award Nomination

1990 Best Guitarist

''Select'' magazine (UK)

1990 Best Album (''Passion and Warfare'')

1990 Best Musician

1990 Sexiest Male

Guitar for the Practicing Musician

1993 Editor's Choice Award

1990 Reader's Choice – Guitar Album of the Year

1990 Best Instrumental Guitarist of the Year

1988 Rock Guitarist of the Year

1987 Hall of Fame

1986 Guitar in the 90's Award

''Kerrang'' (UK)

1993 Best Hard Rock Performance

1990 Guitarist of the Year

1989 Best Rock Guitarist

''Young Guitar'' (Japan)

1991 Best Rock Guitarist

1997 Best Rock Guitarist

''Rock Brigade Brazilian Magazine''

1996 Best Guitarist

1997 Best Guitarist

''RAW''

1990 Best Selling LP Sleeve (No. 1)

1990 Best Selling Promo Video (No. 5, I Would Love To)

1990 Best Selling Promo Video (No. 7, The Audience is Listening)

1990 Best Sex Object (No. 6)

1990 Best RAW Cover (No. 3)

''Playe''r

1995 Best Hard Rock Guitarist – 2nd Place

''Making Music''

1990 Best Album

1990 Best Guitarist

1990 Best Musician

''Metal Hammer''

1990 Best Guitarist (Reader's Poll)

California Music Awards

2001 Outstanding Guitarist (nominee)

Golden Stag Awards Romania

2009 Excellence Prize

See also

List of rock instrumentals

Steve Vai songs

References

External links

Steve Vai's Official homepage

[ Steve Vai] at Allmusic

Audio Interview with Steve Vai on Guitar Jam Daily

Billboard.com Discography of Steve Vai

Steve Vai (1989) - Poster (Hi Res Scan)

Steve Vai Artist Page at GuitarvideoChannel.com

Category:1960 births Category:American heavy metal guitarists Category:American rock guitarists Category:American vegetarians Category:Beekeepers Category:Berklee College of Music alumni Category:G3 Category:Grammy Award winners Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:Lead guitarists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from New York Category:People from Nassau County, New York Category:Seven-string guitarists Category:The Ozzy Osbourne Band members Category:Whitesnake members

bg:Стийв Вай ca:Steve Vai cs:Steve Vai da:Steve Vai de:Steve Vai es:Steve Vai fa:استیو وای fr:Steve Vai hr:Steve Vai id:Steve Vai is:Steve Vai it:Steve Vai he:סטיב ואי ka:სტივ ვაი lb:Steve Vai lt:Steve Vai hu:Steve Vai mk:Стиви Веи nl:Steve Vai ja:スティーヴ・ヴァイ no:Steve Vai pl:Steve Vai pt:Steve Vai ro:Steve Vai ru:Вай, Стив sq:Steve Vai sk:Steve Vai sr:Stiv Vaj sh:Steve Vai fi:Steve Vai sv:Steve Vai tr:Steve Vai uk:Стів Вей zh:史提芬·范

Coordinates	37°46′45.48″N122°25′9.12″N
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Lester William Polsfuss
born	June 09, 1915Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States
died	August 12, 2009White Plains, New York, United States
genre	Jazz, country, blues, rock and roll
occupation	Innovator, Inventor, Musician, Songwriter
instrument	Guitar, Banjo, Harmonica
years active	1928–2009
website	lespaulonline.com
notable instruments	Gibson Les Paul }}

Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009)—known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations. Although he was not the first to use the technique, his early experiments with overdubbing (also known as sound on sound), delay effects such as tape delay, phasing effects and multitrack recording were among the first to attract widespread attention.

His innovative talents extended into his playing style, including licks, trills, chording sequences, fretting techniques and timing, which set him apart from his contemporaries and inspired many guitarists of the present day. He recorded with his wife Mary Ford in the 1950s, and they sold millions of records.

Among his many honors, Paul is one of a handful of artists with a permanent, stand-alone exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is prominently named by the music museum on its website as an "architect" and a "key inductee" along with Sam Phillips and Alan Freed.

Biography

Early life

Les Paul was born Lester William Polsfuss outside Milwaukee, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, to George and Evelyn (1888–1989) (née Stutz) Polsfus. His family was of German ancestry. Paul's mother was related to the founders of Milwaukee's Valentin Blatz Brewing Company and the makers of the Stutz automobile. His parents divorced when he was a child. The Prussia family name was first simplified by his mother to Polfuss before he took his stage name of Les Paul. He also used the nicknames Red Hot Red and Rhubarb Red.

While living in Wisconsin, he first became interested in music at age eight when he began playing the harmonica. After an attempt at learning the banjo, he began to play the guitar. It was during this time that he invented a neck-worn harmonica holder, which allowed him to play the harmonica hands-free while accompanying himself on the guitar. Paul's device is still manufactured using his basic design. By age thirteen, Paul was performing semi-professionally as a country-music singer, guitarist and harmonica player. While playing at the Waukesha area drive-ins and roadhouses, Paul began his first experiment with sound. Wanting to make himself heard by more people at the local venues, he wired a phonograph needle to a radio speaker, using that to amplify his acoustic guitar. At age seventeen, Paul played with Rube Tronson's Texas Cowboys, and soon after he dropped out of high school to join Wolverton's Radio Band in St. Louis, Missouri, on KMOX.

Early career

Paul migrated to Chicago in 1934, where he continued to perform on radio. His first two records were released in 1936. One was credited to "Rhubarb Red", Paul's hillbilly ''alter ego'', and the other was as an accompanist for blues-artist Georgia White. It was during this time that he began playing jazz and adopted his stage name.

Paul's jazz-guitar style was strongly influenced by the music of Django Reinhardt, whom he greatly admired. Following World War II, Paul sought out and befriended Reinhardt. After Reinhardt's death in 1953, Paul furnished his headstone. One of Paul's prize possessions was a Selmer Maccaferri acoustic guitar given to him by Reinhardt's widow.

Paul formed a trio in 1937 with singer/rhythm guitarist Jim Atkins (older half-brother of guitarist Chet Atkins) and bassist/percussionist Ernie "Darius" Newton. They left Chicago for New York in 1939, landing a featured spot with ''Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians'' radio show. Chet Atkins later wrote that his brother, home on a family visit, presented the younger Atkins with an expensive Gibson archtop guitar that had been given to Jim Atkins by Les Paul. Chet recalled that it was the first professional-quality instrument he ever owned.

Paul was dissatisfied with acoustic-electric guitars and began experimenting at his apartment in Queens, NY with a few designs of his own. Famously, he created several versions of "The Log", which was nothing more than a length of common 4x4 lumber with a bridge, guitar neck and pickup attached. For the sake of appearance, he attached the body of an Epiphone hollow-body guitar, sawn lengthwise with The Log in the middle. This solved his two main problems: feedback, as the acoustic body no longer resonated with the amplified sound, and sustain, as the energy of the strings was not dissipated in generating sound through the guitar body. These instruments were constantly being improved and modified over the years, and Paul continued to use them in his recordings long after the development of his eponymous Gibson model.

While experimenting in his apartment in 1940, Paul nearly succumbed to electrocution. During two years of recuperation, he relocated to Hollywood, supporting himself by producing radio music and forming a new trio. He was drafted into the US Army shortly after the beginning of World War II, where he served in the Armed Forces Network, backing such artists as Bing Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, and performing in his own right. As a last-minute replacement for Oscar Moore, Paul played with Nat King Cole and other artists in the inaugural Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in Los Angeles, California, on July 2, 1944. The recording, still available as Jazz at the Philharmonic- the first concert- shows Paul at the top of his game, both in his solid four to the bar comping in the style of Freddie Green and for the originality of his solo lines. Paul's solo on 'Blues' is an astonishing tour de force and represents a memorable contest between himself and Nat 'King' Cole. Much later in his career, Paul declared that he had been the victor and that this had been conceded by Cole. His solo on Body and Soul is a fine demonstration both of his admiration for and emulation of the playing of Django Reinhardt, as well as his development of some very original lines.

Also that year, Paul's trio appeared on Bing Crosby's radio show. Crosby went on to sponsor Paul's recording experiments. The two also recorded together several times, including a 1945 number-one hit, "It's Been a Long, Long Time." In addition to backing Crosby, The Andrews Sisters and other artists, Paul's trio also recorded a few albums of their own on the Decca label in the late 1940s.

In January 1948, Paul shattered his right arm and elbow in a near-fatal automobile accident on an icy Route 66 just west of Davenport, Oklahoma. Mary Ford was driving the Buick convertible, which rolled several times down a creekbed; they were on their way back from Wisconsin to Los Angeles after performing at the opening of a restaurant owned by Paul's father. Doctors at Oklahoma City's Wesley Presbyterian Hospital told him that they could not rebuild his elbow so that he would regain movement; his arm would remain permanently in whatever position they placed it in. Their other option was amputation. Paul instructed surgeons, brought in from Los Angeles, to set his arm at an angle—just under 90 degrees—that would allow him to cradle and pick the guitar. It took him nearly a year and a half to recover.

Guitar builder

Paul's innovative guitar, "The Log", built after-hours in the Epiphone guitar factory in 1940, a 4" × 4" chunk of pine with strings and a pickup, was one of the first solid-body electric guitars. Paul Tutmarc of Audiovox Manufacturing Co. built a solid body electric bass in 1935 and Adolph Rickenbacker had marketed a solid-body guitar in the 1930s and Paul A. Bigsby had built one for Merle Travis in 1948 and Leo Fender also independently created his own in 1949. Although Paul approached the Gibson Guitar Corporation with his idea of a solid body electric guitar, they showed no interest until Fender began marketing its Esquire which later became known as the Telecaster models.

The arrangement persisted until 1961, when declining sales prompted Gibson to change the design without Paul's knowledge, creating a much thinner, lighter and more aggressive-looking instrument with two cutaway "horns" instead of one. Paul said he first saw the "new" Gibson Les Paul in a music-store window, and disliked it. Although his contract required him to pose with the guitar, he said it was not "his" instrument and asked Gibson to remove his name from the headstock. Others claimed that Paul ended his endorsement contract with Gibson during his divorce to avoid having his wife get his endorsement money. Gibson renamed the guitar "Gibson SG", which stands for "Solid Guitar", and it also became one of the company's best sellers.

The original Gibson Les Paul-guitar design regained popularity when Eric Clapton began playing the instrument a few years later, although he also played an SG and an ES-335. Paul resumed his relationship with Gibson and endorsed the original Gibson Les Paul guitar from that point onwards. His personal Gibson Les Pauls were much modified by him—Paul always used his own self-wound pickups and customized methods of switching between pickups on his guitars. To this day, various models of Gibson Les Paul guitars are used all over the world by both novice and professional guitarists. A less-expensive version of the Gibson Les Paul guitar is also manufactured for Gibson's lower-priced Epiphone brand.

On January 30, 1962, the US Patent and Trademark Office issued Paul a patent, Patent No. 3,018,680, for an "Electrical Music Instrument."

Multitrack-recording innovations

Paul had never been happy with the way his records sounded. During a post-recording session talk with Bing Crosby, the crooner suggested Paul try building his own recording studio so he might be able to get the sound he wanted. At first Paul discounted the idea only to give it a few more minutes thought before deciding Crosby was right. Paul started his own studio in the garage of his home on Hollywood's North Curson Street. The studio drew many other famous vocalists and musicians who wanted the benefit of Paul's expertise. The home and studio are still standing, but both had been moved to Pasadena at some point after Paul no longer owned the home.

In 1948, Les Paul was given one of the first Ampex Model 200A reel-to-reel audio tape recording decks by Crosby and went on to use Ampex's eight track "Sel-Sync" machines for Multitrack recording. Capitol Records released a recording that had begun as an experiment in Paul's garage, entitled "Lover (When You're Near Me)", which featured Paul playing eight different parts on electric guitar, some of them recorded at half-speed, hence "double-fast" when played back at normal speed for the master. ("Brazil", similarly recorded, was the B-side.) This was the first time that Les Paul used multitracking in a recording (Paul had been shopping his multitracking technique, unsuccessfully, since the '30s. Much to his dismay, Sidney Bechet used it in 1941 to play half a dozen instruments on "Sheik of Araby"). These recordings were made not with magnetic tape, but with acetate discs. Paul would record a track onto a disk, then record himself playing another part with the first. He built the multitrack recording with overlaid tracks, rather than parallel ones as he did later. By the time he had a result he was satisfied with, he had discarded some five hundred recording disks.

Paul even built his own disc-cutter assembly, based on automobile parts. He favored the flywheel from a Cadillac for its weight and flatness. Even in these early days, he used the acetate-disk setup to record parts at different speeds and with delay, resulting in his signature sound with echoes and birdsong-like guitar riffs. When he later began using magnetic tape, the major change was that he could take his recording rig on tour with him, even making episodes for his fifteen-minute radio show in his hotel room. He later worked with Ross Snyder in the design of the first eight-track recording deck (built for him by Ampex for his home studio.)

Electronics engineer Jack Mullin had been assigned to a U.S. Army Signal Corps unit stationed in France during World War II. On a mission in Germany near the end of the war, he acquired and later shipped home a German Magnetophon (tape recorder) and fifty reels of I.G. Farben plastic recording tape. Back in the U.S., Mullin rebuilt and developed the machine with the intention of selling it to the film industry, and held a series of demonstrations which quickly became the talk of the American audio industry.

Within a short time, Crosby had hired Mullin to record and produce his radio shows and master his studio recordings on tape, and he invested US$50,000 in a Northern California electronics firm, Ampex. With Crosby's backing, Mullin and Ampex created the Ampex Model 200, the world's first commercially produced reel-to-reel audio tape recorder. Crosby gave Les Paul the second Model 200 to be produced. Using this machine, Paul placed an additional playback head, located before the conventional erase/record/playback heads. This allowed Paul to play along with a previously recorded track, both of which were mixed together on to a new track. This was a mono tape recorder with just one track across the entire width of quarter-inch tape; thus, the recording was "destructive" in the sense that the original recording was permanently replaced with the new, mixed recording.

Paul's re-invention of the Ampex 200 inspired Ampex to develop two-track and three-track recorders, which allowed him to record as many tracks on one tape without erasing previous takes. These machines were the backbone of professional recording, radio and television studios in the 1950s and early 1960s. In 1954, Paul continued to develop this technology by commissioning Ampex to build the first 8-track (multitrack) tape recorder, at his own expense. His design became known as "Sel-Sync" (Selective Synchronization), in which specially modified electronics could either record or play back from the record head, which was not optimized for playback but which had acceptable sound quality for musicians to listen to for the purposes of recording an "overdub" (OD) in sync with the original recording. This is the core technology behind multitrack recording.

Les Paul & Mary Ford

Paul met country-western singer Colleen Summers in 1945. They began working together in 1948, at which time she adopted the stage name Mary Ford. They were married in 1949. The couple's hits included "How High the Moon", "Bye Bye Blues", "Song in Blue", "Don'cha Hear Them Bells", "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise", and "Vaya con Dios". These songs featured Ford harmonizing with herself.

Like Crosby, Paul and Ford used the now-ubiquitous recording technique known as close miking, where the microphone is less than from the singer's mouth. This produces a more-intimate, less-reverberant sound than is heard when a singer is or more from the microphone. When implemented using a cardioid-patterned microphone, it emphasizes low-frequency sounds in the voice due to a cardioid microphone's proximity effect and can give a more relaxed feel because the performer isn't working so hard. The result is a singing style which diverged strongly from unamplified theater-style singing, as might be heard in musical comedies of the 1930s and 1940s.

Radio and television programs

Paul had hosted a fifteen-minute radio program, ''The Les Paul Show'', on NBC radio in 1950, featuring his trio (himself, Ford and rhythm player Eddie Stapleton) and his electronics, recorded from their home and with gentle humor between Paul and Ford bridging musical selections, some of which had already been successful on records, some of which anticipated the couple's recordings, and many of which presented re-interpretations of such jazz and pop selections as "In the Mood", "Little Rock Getaway", "Brazil" and "Tiger Rag". Over ten of these shows survive among old-time radio collectors today.

The show also appeared on television a few years later with the same format, but excluding the trio and retitled ''The Les Paul & Mary Ford Show'' (also known as ''Les Paul & Mary Ford at Home'') with "Vaya Con Dios" as a theme song. Sponsored by Warner Lambert's Listerine mouthwash, it was widely syndicated during 1954–1955, and was only five minutes (one or two songs) long on film, therefore used as a brief interlude or fill-in in programming schedules. Since Paul created the entire show himself, including audio and video, he maintained the original recordings and was in the process of restoring them to current quality standards up until his death.

During his radio shows, Paul introduced the fictional "Les Paulverizer" device, which multiplies anything fed into it, like a guitar sound or a voice. Paul has stated that the idea was to explain to the audience how his single guitar could be multiplied to become a group of guitars. The device even became the subject of comedy, with Ford multiplying herself and her vacuum cleaner with it so she could finish the housework faster.

Later career

In 1965, Paul went into semi-retirement, although he did return to the studio occasionally. He and Ford had divorced in December 1962, as she could no longer cope with the traveling lifestyle their act required of them. Paul's most-recognizable recordings from then through the mid-1970s were an album for London Records/Phase 4 Stereo, ''Les Paul Now'' (1968), on which he updated some of his earlier hits; and, backed by some of Nashville's celebrated studio musicians, a meld of jazz and country improvisation with fellow guitar virtuoso Chet Atkins, ''Chester and Lester'' (1976), for RCA Victor.

By the late 1980s, Paul had returned to active live performance, continuing into his 80s even though he often found it painful to play the guitar because of arthritis in his hands. In 2006, at age 90, he won two Grammys at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards for his album ''Les Paul & Friends: American Made World Played''. He also performed every Monday night, accompanied by a trio which included guitarist Lou Pallo, bassist Paul Nowinksi (and later, Nicki Parrott) and pianist John Colianni, originally at Fat Tuesdays, and later at the Iridium Jazz Club on Broadway in the Times Square area of New York City.

Composer Richard Stein (1909–1992) sued Paul for plagiarism, charging that Paul's "Johnny (Is the Boy for Me)" was taken from Stein's 1937 song "Sanie cu zurgălăi" (Romanian for "Sledge with Bells"). A 2000 cover version of "Johnny" by Belgian musical group Vaya Con Dios that credited Paul prompted another action by the Romanian Musical Performing and Mechanical Rights Society.

For many years Les Paul would sometimes surprise radio hosts Steve King and Johnnie Putman with a call to the "Life After Dark Show" on WGN (AM) in Chicago. These calls would take place in the wee hours of Tuesday Morning following his show at the Iridium Jazz Club. Steve and Johnnie continue to honor Les on Tuesday Mornings at 2:35 AM with their segment "A Little More Les" drawing from around 30 hours of recorded conversations with Les.

Death

On August 12, 2009, Paul died of complications from pneumonia at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York. His family and friends were by his side. Paul is survived by his four children and his companion Arlene Palmer. His attorney told the media Paul had been "in and out of the hospital" because of illness. His last concert took place a few weeks before his death.

Upon learning of his death many artists and popular musicians paid tribute by publicly expressing their sorrow. After learning of Paul's death, former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash called him "vibrant and full of positive energy.", while Richie Sambora, lead guitarist of Bon Jovi, referred to him as "revolutionary in the music business". U2 guitarist The Edge said, "His legacy as a musician and inventor will live on and his influence on rock and roll will never be forgotten."

On August 21, 2009, he was buried near Milwaukee in Waukesha, Wisconsin at Prairie Home Cemetery which indicated that his plot would be in an area where visitors can easily view it. Like his funeral in New York on August 19, the burial was private, but earlier in the day a public memorial viewing of the closed casket was held in Milwaukee at Discovery World with 1,500 attendees who were offered free admission to the Les Paul House of Sound exhibit for the day.

Awards and honors

Paul was initiated into the Gamma Delta chapter of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at the University of Miami in 1952. He has earned the Presidential award from the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

In 1979, Paul and Ford's 1951 recording of "How High the Moon" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Paul received a Grammy Trustees Award for his lifetime achievements in 1983.

In 1988, Paul was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Jeff Beck, who said, "I've copied more licks from Les Paul than I'd like to admit." In 1991, the Mix Foundation established an annual award in his name; the Les Paul Award which honors "individuals or institutions that have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of audio technology". In 2005, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his development of the solid-body electric guitar. In 2006, Paul was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He was named an honorary member of the Audio Engineering Society. In 2007, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

A one-hour biographical documentary film ''The Wizard of Waukesha'' was shown at the Los Angeles International Film Exposition (FILMEX) March 4–21, 1980, and later on PBS television. A biographical, feature-length documentary titled ''Chasing Sound: Les Paul at 90'' made its world première on May 9, 2007, at the Downer Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Paul appeared at the event and spoke briefly to the enthusiastic crowd. The film is distributed by Koch Entertainment and was broadcast on PBS on July 11, 2007, as part of its American Masters series and was broadcast on October 17, 2008, on BBC Four as part of its Guitar Night. The première coincided with the final part of a three-part documentary by the BBC broadcast on BBC ONE ''The Story of the Guitar''.

In June 2008, an exhibit showcasing his legacy and featuring items from his personal collection opened at Discovery World in Milwaukee. The exhibit was facilitated by a group of local musicians under the name Partnership for the Arts and Creative Excellence (PACE). Paul played a concert in Milwaukee to coincide with the opening of the exhibit.

Paul's hometown of Waukesha is planning a permanent exhibit to be called "The Les Paul experience."

In July 2005, a 90th-birthday tribute concert was held at Carnegie Hall in New York City. After performances by Steve Miller, Peter Frampton, Jose Feliciano and a number of other contemporary guitarists and vocalists, Paul was presented with a commemorative guitar from the Gibson Guitar Corporation.

On November 15, 2008, he received the American Music Masters award through the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a tribute concert at the State Theater in Cleveland, Ohio. Among the many guest performers were Duane Eddy, Eric Carmen, Lonnie Mack, Jennifer Batten, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Dennis Coffey, James Burton, Billy Gibbons, Lenny Kaye, Steve Lukather, Barbara Lynn, Katy Moffatt, Alannah Myles, Richie Sambora, The Ventures and Slash.

In February 2009, only months prior to his death, Les Paul sat down with Scott Vollweiler of Broken Records Magazine, in which would be one of Les Paul's final interviews. His candid answers were direct and emotional. Broken Records Magazine had planned to run that cover feature the following month but due to delays was held until the summer. 3 days before the release, Les Paul died. The issue would be his final cover feature of his storied career.

In August, 2009, Paul was named one of the ten best electric guitar players of all-time by ''Time'' magazine.

On June 9, 2010, which would have been Les Paul's 95th birthday, a tribute concert featuring Jeff Beck, Imelda May, Gary U.S. Bonds and Brian Setzer among others, was held at the Iridium Jazz Club where Les Paul played nearly every week almost to the end of his life. The concert was released on the live album Rock 'n' Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul) in 2011.

On June 9–10, 2011 Google celebrated what would have been Paul's 96th birthday with a Google doodle of an interactive guitar.

Personal life

Paul married Virginia Webb in 1938. They had two children, Gene (Lester Jr.), born in 1941 and named after actor-songwriter Gene Lockhart, and Russell (Rusty), born 1944, before divorcing in 1949. Later that year, Paul and Mary Ford (born Iris Colleen Summers) were married. They adopted a girl, Colleen, in 1958 and their son Robert (Bobby) was born the following year. They had also lost a child, who was born prematurely and died only four days old. Les Paul and Mary Ford divorced in 1963.

Paul was the instructor of rock guitarist Steve Miller of the Steve Miller Band, to whom Paul gave his first guitar lesson. Miller's father was best man at Paul's 1949 wedding to Mary Ford.

Paul resided for many years in Mahwah, New Jersey.

Discography

Hit singles

Year	Single	Chart positions
		! style="width:35px;"	! style="width:35px;"	! style="width:35px;"	! style="width:35px;"
1945		1
1946		4
		21
	22
	11
		9
	21
	18
	6
		23
	2		7
	1	2
	12
	18
	2
	7
	5
	10
		2
	13
	14
	15
	14
	5
	15
	8
	7
		5
	10
	21
style="text-align:left;"	1			7
	15
	25
	13
		11
	6
	10
	19
		7
	38
	96
		91
	49
	91
1957		35
1958		32
		37
	105

Albums

''Feedback'' (1944)—compilation

''Les Paul Trio'' (1946)—compilation

''Hawaiian Paradise'' (1949)

''The New Sound'' (1950)

''Les Paul's New Sound, Volume 2'' (1951)

''Bye Bye Blues!'' (1952)

''Gallopin' Guitars'' (1952)—compilation

''The Hit Makers!'' (1953)

''Les and Mary'' (1955)

''Time to Dream'' (1957)

''Lover's Luau'' (1959)

''The Hits of Les and Mary'' (1960)—compilation

''Bouquet of Roses'' (1962)

''Warm and Wonderful'' (1962)

''Swingin' South'' (1963)

''Fabulous Les Paul and Mary Ford'' (1965)

''Les Paul Now!'' (1968)

''Guitar Tapestry''

''Lover''

''The Guitar Artistry of Les Paul'' (1971)

''The World is Still Waiting for the Sunrise'' (1974)—compilation

''The Best of Les Paul with Mary Ford'' (1974)—compilation

''Chester and Lester'' (1976)—with Chet Atkins

''Guitar Monsters'' (1977)—with Chet Atkins

''Les Paul and Mary Ford'' (1978)—compilation

''Multi Trackin' '' (1979)

''All-Time Greatest Hits'' (1983)—compilation

''The Very Best of Les Paul with Mary Ford'

''Famille Nombreuse'' (1992)—compilation

''The World Is Waiting'' (1992)—compilation

''The Best of the Capitol Masters: Selections From "The Legend and the Legacy" Box Set'' (1992)—compilation

''All-Time Greatest Hits'' (1992)—compilation

''Their All-Time Greatest Hits'' (1995)—compilation

''Les Paul: The Legend and the Legacy'' (1996; a four-CD box set chronicling his years with Capitol Records)

''16 Most Requested Songs'' (1996)—compilation

''The Complete Decca Trios—Plus (1936–1947)'' (1997)—compilation

''California Melodies'' (2003)

''Les Paul – The Legendary Fred Waring Broadcasts (2004)

''Les Paul & Friends: American Made World Played'' (2005)

''Les Paul And Friends: A Tribute To A Legend'' (2008)

Singles

"It's Been a Long, Long Time"—Bing Crosby & The Les Paul Trio (1945), #1 on Billboard Pop singles chart, 1 week, December 8

"Rumors Are Flying"—Andrews Sisters & Les Paul (1946)

"Guitar Boogie" (1947)

"Lover (When You're Near Me)" (1948)

"Brazil" (1948)

"What Is This Thing Called Love?" (1948)

"Nola" (1950)

"Goofus" (1950)

"Little Rock 69 Getaway" (1950/1951)

"Tennessee Waltz"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1950/1951), #1, Cashbox

"Mockingbird Hill"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1951), #1, Cashbox

"How High The Moon"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1951), #1, Billboard Pop singles chart, 9 weeks, April 21 – June 16; #1, Cashbox, 2 weeks; #2, R&B; chart

"I Wish I Had Never Seen Sunshine"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1951)

"The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1951), #2, Billboard; #3, Cashbox

"Just One More Chance"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1951)

"Jazz Me Blues" (1951)

"Josephine" (1951)

"Whispering" (1951)

"Jingle Bells" (1951)

"Tiger Rag"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952), #2, Billboard; #8, Cashbox

"I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952)

"Carioca" (1952)

"In the Good Old Summertime"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952)

"Smoke Rings"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952)

"Meet Mister Callaghan" (1952), #5, Billboard

"Take Me In Your Arms And Hold Me"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952)

"Lady of Spain" (1952)

"My Baby's Coming Home"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1952)

"Bye Bye Blues"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953)

"I'm Sitting On Top Of The World"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953)

"Sleep" (Fred Waring's theme song) (1953)

"Vaya Con Dios"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953), #1, Billboard Pop singles chart, 11 weeks, August 8 – October 3, November 7–14; #1, Cashbox, 5 weeks

"Johnny (Is The Boy For Me)"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953), #15, Billboard; #25, Cashbox

"Don'cha Hear Them Bells"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953), #13, Billboard; #32, Cashbox

"The Kangaroo" (1953), #25, Billboard; #23, Cashbox

"I Really Don't Want To Know"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1954)

"I'm A Fool To Care"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1954)

"Whither Thou Goest"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1954)

"Mandolino"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1954), #19, Billboard

"Song in Blue"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1954), #17, Cashbox

"Hummingbird"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1955)

"Amukiriki (The Lord Willing)"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1955)

"Magic Melody"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1955)

"Texas Lady"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1956)

"Moritat" (Theme from "Three Penny Opera") (1956)

"Nuevo Laredo"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1956)

"Cinco Robles (Five Oaks)"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1957)

"Put A Ring On My Finger"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1958)

"Jura (I Swear I Love You)"—Les Paul & Mary Ford (1961)

"Love Sneakin' Up On You"-Les Paul, Joss Stone & Sting (2005)

Compositions

Les Paul was also a prolific composer. Some of the songs he wrote were "Song in Blue", "Cryin'", "Hip-billy Boogie", "Suspicion", "Mandolino", "Magic Melody", "Don'cha Hear Them Bells", "The Kangaroo", "Big-Eyed Gal", "All I Need is You", "Mammy's Boogie", and "Walkin' and Whistlin' Blues".

See also

Ampex

Discovery World

Gibson Les Paul

Gibson SG

List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees

Mary Ford

References

External links

History of Les Paul

Les Paul: Chasing Sound (may require subscription) PBS Documentary on the life of Les Paul, including extended interviews with Paul.

Remembering Les Paul Photos and extended interviews with Les on WGN Chicago's Steve & Johnnie early morning show

Staff writer (August 13, 2009). "Les Paul", obituary at ''The Daily Telegraph'' (Accessed August 24, 2009)

"Les Paul, 'The Wizard of Waukesha'", a biography (undated) at the Wisconsin Historical Society's official website

''Les Paul – Discovery World 2005'' video (requires Adobe Flash) at Discovery World's (museum) official website

''The Les Paul Show'', archive of Paul's NBC radio show at the Internet Archive's official website (includes MP3 files (free) of eleven of their radio shows including their audition show)

lespaulfoundation.org, Les Paul Foundation website (includes Legacy, Foundation & Community websites)

"Les Paul: Legacy of a Guitar Hero" at LIFE

''The Wizard of Waukesha'' (1980) at Allmovie's official website

''Les Paul – 'Miles of Music''', two video interviews of and performances by Paul (5–6 minutes each; requires Adobe Flash) with Bob Miles on ''Miles of Music'' (milesofmusic.tv), a Public-access television cable TV program

CLASSIC TRACKS: Les Paul & Mary Ford 'How High The Moon'

Photo Library from performances at Iridium

Les Paul's final interview

Category:American jazz guitarists Category:American musical instrument makers Category:American radio personalities Category:Capitol Records artists Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Deaths from pneumonia Category:Decca Records artists Category:American musicians of German descent Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Guitar makers Category:Infectious disease deaths in New York Category:Inventors of musical instruments Category:Lead guitarists Category:Musicians from New Jersey Category:Musicians from Wisconsin Category:National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees Category:People from Mahwah, New Jersey Category:People from Waukesha, Wisconsin Category:RCA Victor artists Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients Category:1915 births Category:2009 deaths Category:American rock guitarists Category:American inventors Category:American blues guitarists

ar:لس بول zh-min-nan:Les Paul bg:Лес Пол ca:Les Paul cs:Les Paul cy:Les Paul da:Les Paul (musiker) de:Les Paul et:Les Paul es:Les Paul eo:Les Paul fa:لس پال fr:Les Paul ga:Les Paul gl:Les Paul hr:Les Paul io:Les Paul id:Les Paul is:Les Paul it:Les Paul he:לס פול la:Les Paul lv:Less Pols lb:Les Paul hu:Les Paul ml:ലെസ് പോൾ nl:Les Paul ja:レス・ポール no:Les Paul nn:Les Paul uz:Les Paul pl:Les Paul pt:Les Paul ro:Les Paul ru:Лес Пол simple:Les Paul sk:Les Paul szl:Les Paul fi:Les Paul sv:Les Paul th:เลส พอล tr:Les Paul uk:Лес Пол vi:Les Paul zh-yue:Les Paul zh:萊斯·保羅

Coordinates	37°46′45.48″N122°25′9.12″N
name	Dave Navarro
background	solo_singer
birth name	David Michael Navarro
born	June 07, 1967Santa Monica, California, U.S.
genre	Alternative rock, heavy metal
instrument	Guitar, vocals, piano, keyboards, bass guitar
years active	1986-present
label	Warner, Capitol
associated acts	Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Deconstruction, The Panic Channel, Camp Freddy, Spirits in the Sky, Soundgarden, Slipknot
website	www.6767.com
notable instruments	PRS GuitarsFender StratocasterIbanez RG }}

David Michael "Dave" Navarro (born June 7, 1967) is an American guitarist who plays in the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction and cover band Camp Freddy. He has also played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Panic Channel, and many others.

Early life

Navarro was born in Santa Monica, California, to James Raul Navarro and Constance Colleen Hopkins. Navarro's paternal grandparents were Mexican immigrants. His mother Constance worked as a model, appearing on the television show ''Let's Make a Deal''. Navarro was the only person in his paternal family who did not speak Spanish. This was a result of James and Constance's divorce when Navarro was 7, and he spent the majority of his time with his mother. He attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, CA. He later transferred to University High School in Los Angeles, CA.

Constance Navarro was murdered by her boyfriend, John Riccardi, eight years after the divorce. Her killer was arrested in 1991, thanks to a viewer tip after Navarro appeared on the television series, ''America's Most Wanted''. After his mother's death, he moved in with his father.

Professional career

Early career

On his ''Instructional Guitar DVD'' Navarro tells how he started playing guitar at the age of 7 after hearing a Jimi Hendrix song at a skate park.

1986-1993

Navarro joined the band Jane's Addiction in 1986 as the lead guitarist after he was recommended to vocalist Perry Farrell by drummer Stephen Perkins, who was a childhood friend of Navarro's. The band became successful and was popular in the alternative-rock music scene. Personal tensions, however, led to their breakup in 1991. The Lollapalooza festival was created by Farrell as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction.

After the departure of Guns N' Roses' original rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin in August 1991, Navarro was the first choice of lead singer Axl Rose to replace Stradlin. However, despite four attempts to have him come in and play with Slash, he never showed up. However, he later went on to play on the 1999 Guns N' Roses song "Oh My God", which was featured on the ''End of Days'' soundtrack. In 1993, Navarro formed Deconstruction with Jane's Addiction's Eric Avery on vocals and bass and Michael Murphy on drums, and the band put out one self-titled album in 1994. Rick Rubin was involved in the production and Butthole Surfers singer Gibby Haynes makes a guest appearance. They did not tour due to Avery's exhaustion after Jane's Addiction.

1993-1998

Navarro joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers in September 1993. His first large-scale performance with the band was at ''Woodstock '94''. The only album in which Navarro played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers - ''One Hot Minute'' - was released in 1995. The album was seen as a commercial failure (even though it sold over 8 million copies worldwide) and fans were disappointed that Navarro didn't have the same sound as former guitarist John Frusciante, the album received mixed reviews despite producing three hit singles. After two years of touring on and off, and his subsequent heroin relapse, Navarro was fired in 1998.

2001-2005

The album Trust No One marked his solo debut in the summer of 2001. In 2002, Jane’s Addiction reformed with bass player Chris Chaney, and started work on a new album. The band entered the studio with veteran rock producer, Bob Ezrin resulting in the album Strays and the Lollapalooza 2003 tour in support of the album. In 2002 Michael Jackson performed at Apollo Theater, and Dave played guitar for his hit song "Black or White"

Navarro began working with Camp Freddy during this time. In 2003 Dave and his fiancé, Carmen Electra, agreed to have their wedding preparations filmed for an MTV show entitled, Til Death Do Us Part. Camp Freddy played at the reception. The show was a great success and was released on DVD Fall 2005. Dave’s book, Don't Try This At Home was released on October 5, 2004 with Regan books, and quickly became a Los Angeles Times bestseller.

On a lighter note, Navarro appeared in two tournaments on Celebrity Poker Showdown in 2004. In the third tournament of the series, he won his qualifying game and appeared in the championship round. In the fourth series, he appeared only in a qualifying round.

2006-2011

Dave co-hosted with Brooke Burke, 2 seasons of the Mark Burnett television series: Rock Star: INXS and Rock Star: Supernova. Dave and his band, The Panic Channel, released their album One, in August 2006. They toured with Rock Star Supernova (the band formed from the series) in January/February 2007. During this time Dave began his own internet radio station: SPREAD RADIO LIVE. He soon broadened his creativity with an internet talk show called: Dave Navarro’s SPREAD TV which was broadcast on Maniatv.com and is currently available for download on iTunes. The show highlighted a myriad of avant-garde subjects, artistry, and the human condition. Videos from the series are also available on Navarro's YouTube channel. right|thumb|Navarro in 2007 In 2007 Navarro also teamed with Teravision to direct his first adult movie ''Broken'' starring Sasha Grey in the first of a planned series of celebrity-directed adult movies. This effort won "Best High End All-Sex Release" at the 2008 AVN Awards. Navarro has also made appearances in Season 1 and Season 2 of Z Rock with Brooklyn-based band ZO2 on IFC.

Jane's Addiction reunited once more in 2008 with all of the original members. The notoriously tumultuous band's reunion was widely credited to NME magazine for choosing Jane's Addiction as the recipient of their "Godlike Genius Award for Services to Music". Soon after performing together for the first time in 17 years at the NME Award ceremony in Los Angeles, the band was contacted by Trent Reznor. Trent began working with Jane's Addiction in his studio; they remixed and released two songs (Chip Away & Whores) online.(NINJA 2009 Tour Sampler) This time together in the studio led directly to the pairing of Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction for a worldwide tour in 2009. The tour was cleverly branded the NIN/JA tour by fans.

During August 2009, Navarro toured southern California as part of the Billy Corgan-led band Spirits in the Sky.

In 2011, Navarro appeared as the 'Director' of a Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp, playing a complicated passage for a 'camper' to emulate, in a commercial for Citibank.

Personal life

Navarro has been married and divorced three times. He married his first wife, make-up artist Tania Goddard, in a pagan ceremony in 1990 and his second wife, Rhian Gittins, in a civil ceremony on October 15, 1994. Navarro married model and actress Carmen Electra, on November 22, 2003. On July 17, 2006, Navarro and Electra announced their split to ''Star Magazine.'' Navarro posted a message on his blog the following morning saying "I just want to say thanks for all of your love and support. I'm sure that you can understand that I wish to keep all personal matters private." Electra filed for divorce on August 8, 2006.

Dave Navarro's cousin is Dan Navarro who is best known for being half of the folk rock duo Lowen and Navarro.

Equipment of choice

During the first few years of Jane's Addiction, Dave played a black Gibson Les Paul. Around the time of the band's major label debut ''Nothing's Shocking'' in 1988, he played Ibanez RG series guitars, including one custom painted with the album cover art. He is seen in the film "Gift" and the "Stop" video playing a blue Ibanez RG, which suggests it was used in the recording of the album ''Ritual de lo Habitual''. During the 1990 Ritual tour, he primarily played a custom-shaped single cutaway gold Ibanez.

Dave began using PRS Guitars on the Lollapalooza tour in 1991. His signature model white PRS is now his number one stage guitar. He has several models in his regular stage and studio rig.

He used a Parker Fly Deluxe for the Chili Peppers days during the live versions of "My Friends". He used it for its super clean tones and its piezoelectric pickup that sounds similar to an acoustic guitar. Dave also openly admits that "It's one of the ugliest guitars I've ever seen", as quoted from the Dave Navarro instructional DVD.

During this era, Dave went with a more treble based guitar in the Fender Stratocaster. He had several in his possession. All of them were a 3 single coil pattern but he also had a Modulus Stratocaster-like guitar made.

Dave has also been seen playing Kramer (Van Halen Signature) Guitars, Fender Telecasters, Takamine Acoustic 12 strings, and even a Squier Hello Kitty Stratocaster given to him by Carmen.

Since late 2008, Dave's been seen using live and in studio a custom white Ibanez RG, with a humbucker/single/single pickup layout, gold hardware, and a vintage style tremolo.

Dave previously used a vintage Marshall JCM800, but now plays through 2 Marshall JCM900 amplifiers which are dubbed Tanjerine and Peach. For large gigs he will also use a Marshall Mode 4 for clean tones. In the studio he is also commonly known to use a Vox AC30 for cleans and a Bogner Uberschall for dirty tones.

With effects, Dave prefers BOSS. He uses a BOSS Octave Pedal, 2 BOSS DD3 Digital Delays, a BOSS Turbo distortion for extra volume during soloing, a Dunlop Cry Baby Wah Pedal and several others.

Epiphone Guitars (a subsidiary of Gibson) released its Dave Navarro Artist Acoustic in July 2010. According to an interview with Navarro on Gibson.com, the new guitar is based upon the classic Gibson (and Epiphone) "Hummingbird" design, and has already been played by the guitarist in the studio while recording with Jane's Addiction. Named "Jane", the new guitar is black in color (as opposed to Navarro's usual white guitars), and sports a dead tree and crows on the pickguard, rather than the traditional Hummingbird and foliage images.

Discography

;Solo

1995 ''Rhimorse''

2001 ''Trust No One''

*"Rexall": U.S. Modern Rock Tracks #12, U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks #9

*"Hungry": U.S. Modern Rock Tracks #24, U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks #38

;With Jane's Addiction

1987 ''Jane's Addiction''

1988 ''Nothing's Shocking''

1990 ''Ritual de lo Habitual''

1997 ''Kettle Whistle''

2003 ''Strays''

2006 ''Up from the Catacombs - The Best of '' (Greatest hits album)

2009 ''A Cabinet of Curiosities'' (Box set)

2011 ''The Great Escape Artist''

;With Deconstruction

1994 ''Deconstruction''

;With Red Hot Chili Peppers

1995 ''One Hot Minute''

1996 "Love Rollercoaster"

;With Nine Inch Nails

1995 ''Further Down The Spiral'' - guitar on "Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)"

;With Alanis Morissette

1995 ''Jagged Little Pill'' - guitar on "You Oughta Know"

;With Marilyn Manson

1998 ''Mechanical Animals'' - guitar solo on "I Don't Like The Drugs (But The Drugs Like Me)"

;With Guns N' Roses

1999 End of Days OST - guitar on "Oh My God"

;With P.Diddy

2001 ''The Saga Continues...'' - guitar on "Bad Boy for Life"

;With Christina Aguilera

2002 ''Stripped'' - guitar on "Fighter"

;With Gene Simmons

2004 ''"Asshole"'' - guitar on "Firestarter" (The Prodigy cover)

;With Glenn Hughes

2005 ''Soul Mover''

;With Tommy Lee

2005 ''Tommyland: The Ride'' - guitar solo on "Tired"

;With The Panic Channel

2006 ''(ONe)''

;With Dead Celebrity Status

2006 ''Blood Music'' - guitar solo on "We Fall, We Fall"

Footnotes

External links

Dave Navarro interview January 2008

Dave Navarro's Spread on maniaTV.com

Dave Navarro's Guitars photo gallery

PRS Guitars Dave Navarro Signature model

Category:Living people Category:1967 births Category:University High School (Los Angeles, California) alumni Category:American bloggers Category:American male singers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singers Category:Capitol Records artists Category:Jane's Addiction members Category:Lead guitarists Category:American musicians of Mexican descent Category:Musicians from California Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Santa Monica, California Category:Red Hot Chili Peppers members

br:Dave Navarro bg:Дейв Наваро da:Dave Navarro de:Dave Navarro es:Dave Navarro fr:Dave Navarro gl:Dave Navarro it:Dave Navarro nl:Dave Navarro ja:デイヴ・ナヴァロ no:Dave Navarro pl:Dave Navarro pt:Dave Navarro ru:Наварро, Дэйв simple:Dave Navarro fi:Dave Navarro sv:Dave Navarro