It is with sadness that we report the passing of Les Paul, the man who pioneered the electric guitar, at age 94 from complications of pneumonia.

He was, of course, a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar, an instrument which more or less defined the sound of rock and roll music. Additionally, he is credited with such audio innovations as overdubbing the tape delay, and multitrack recording.

In addition to his distinct playing style, his longevity helped set him apart. For years, he was a regular at the Iridium in Manhattan on Monday nights, including this year.

“He played guitar with leading prewar jazz and pop musicians from Louis Armstrong to Bing Crosby. In the 1930s he began experimenting with guitar amplification, and by 1941 he had built what was probably the first solid-body electric guitar, although there are other claimants,” wrote Jon Pareles on his New York Times blog. “With his electric guitar and the vocals of his wife, Mary Ford, he used overdubbing, multitrack recording and new electronic effects to create a string of hits in the 1950s.”

“He was, of course, a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar, an instrument which more or less defined the sound of rock and roll music. Additionally, he is credited with such audio innovations as overdubbing the tape delay, and multitrack recording.

In addition to his distinct playing style, his longevity helped set him apart. For years, he was a regular at the Iridium in Manhattan on Monday nights, including this year.

“With apologies to Hendrix and Clapton, inventor and musician Les Paul, who died Wednesday at 94, was the most influential rock guitarist ever — even though he was only tangentially involved in rock,” wrote Mark Kemp for RollingStone.com. “Paul was important not just for his instrumental virtuosity, but also for his groundbreaking studio developments and creation of the Gibson solid-body guitar that bears his name, the quintessential rock instrument made famous by such legends as Clapton, Duane Allman, Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen.”

Gibson Guitars, which introduced their first Les Paul model guitar in 1952, issued a release with an brief history of the guitarist’s amazing career: “Tinkering with electronics and guitar amplification since his youth, Les Paul began constructing his own electric guitar in the late '30s. Unhappy with the first generation of commercially available hollowbodies because of their thin tone, lack of sustain, and feedback problems, Paul opted to build an entirely new structure. ‘I was interested in proving that a vibration-free top was the way to go,’ he has said. ‘I even built a guitar out of a railroad rail to prove it. What I wanted was to amplify pure string vibration, without the resonance of the wood getting involved in the sound.’ With the good graces of Epiphone president Epi Stathopoulo, Paul used the Epiphone plant and machinery in 1941 to bring his vision to fruition. He affectionately dubbed the guitar ‘The Log.’"

The results of his experiments shaped music history.

“The world has lost a unique, creative man who loved his music more than anything,” said publisher and historian Russ Cochran. “I was priviledged to work with Les Paul for over three years in the production of his life story, Les Paul - In His Own Words. I even was invited to play onstage with Les at his regular Monday night gig at Iridium Jazz Club in New York.”

For even most seasoned guitar players, that would have been a pretty heady experience. Cochran said it was an amazing experience.

“It was a blast. I was in heaven. He also asked my daughter Amanda to come up to the stage to sing one of his songs. We played ‘Crazy Rhythm,’” he said.

Born Lester William Polsfuss in Waukesha, Wisconsin on June 9, 1915, Les Paul died Wednesday, August 12, 2009.

Editor’s note: Les Paul - In His Own Words, the book Cochran produced, was co-authored by Paul and Cochran’s brother Michael. It was originally produced in a limited edition. An updated version of the volume was printed in 2008 but not released until last week. The insightful and beautifully produced 368-page hardcover is, as the title suggests, the veteran guitarist’s life story in his words. With a foreword by Paul McCartney, the book retails for $75.00, however, readers who contact Cochran through his website can receive it for the substantially reduced price of $40.00 per copy.