A transformational moment in music history occurred 75 years ago in February 1948, when Capitol Records issued a 78 rpm record.
It was “Lover,” the first multitrack popular music recording created by superimposing discrete audio tracks. The vision, intellect and grit which this disc-to-disc undertaking entailed belonged to guitarist Les Paul. The legend “The New Sound” appeared on the record label, heralding an era of new recording possibilities. From this singular achievement, the act of making records would become an infinitely more creative process through the advent of overdubbing. Among Les’s many accolades are inductions into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for creating the solidbody electric guitar and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his hit platters and leading-edge innovations. Indeed, Les is the father of modern sound, from whom some of music’s greatest recorded milestones and guitar players have sprung these past 75 years.
“Les would say, ‘You could be wrong a million times. You only have to be right once’”
Les was 32 when “Lover” was released. He’d barely scratched the surface of what he would accomplish and be celebrated for. He was born Lester William Polsfuss in 1915 and grew up in America’s heartland, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, playing harmonica and piano before switching to guitar. Drawing inspiration from Eddie Lang, Django Reinhardt and Andrés Segovia, he gained prominence in the late 1930s as a jazz and country artist and top session sideman. In September 1945, after serving with the Armed Forces Radio Network, Les, accompanied by his trio, waxed a postwar million-seller, “It’s Been a Long, Long Time,” billed with singer Bing Crosby. It was the first of his many hits.
The Rail, Log and “Klunkers”
But it was the single “Lover” and its success that fulfilled Les’s calling. His roles as musician, engineer and inventor merged on the recording, making him a latter-day wizard. The recording represented his coming of age, the culmination of years-long experimentation with electronic sound and
