High-Energy Les Paul Took to the Road to Perform
By Sue Baker
Mary Ford, technician Earl Davis, Gene Paul, and Les Paul arriving in Germany.
In the 1950s and early 1960s, Les Paul and Mary Ford were living their hit song, “I’m Sitting on Top of The World.” In addition to recording hit after hit, Les and Mary were crisscrossing North America in their Cadillac—their preferred mode of transportation.
Les recounted in his 2005 memoir, “We loved to get in the car and drive because then we could get away from the telephone and just enjoy each other’s company without feeling watched. Out on the road, it was just the two of us, and that’s what we wanted.”
Les was known for having nonstop energy. In fact, like Thomas Edison, he could go without sleep for days. “Leisure” wasn’t something he did, but he certainly did travel.
In 1952, when their recording of “How High the Moon” was at the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, Les and Mary sailed for 12 days across the ocean to perform at London’s Palladium. Les reported wishing he could have driven his Cadillac as the slow pace of the ship was not his style.
In the early 1960s, Les and Mary along with Les’s son Gene traveled to Germany to perform for U.S. troops. This time they flew, but the tour pace kept them hopping. They drove from military base to military base. On some days they drove 50 miles between bases to do multiple shows at each base, on the same day.
Les loved to perform. It was what energized him, along with his constant inventing. Les was in his realm performing onstage, bringing joy to his audience with his music and sprinkling on his jokes to bring on the laughs.
Les was born June 9, 1915, and each June we celebrate this legendary artist who did so much to change the face of music. Known for creating the solid body electric guitar and innovations in recording music, Les was not only a musician but also an accomplished inventor who could not stop tinkering with instruments, tools, and sounds to satisfy his curiosity about the world at large.
Since 2013 the Les Paul Foundation has funded Hearing Health Foundation research, including seven scientists through our Emerging Research Grants program who are investigating tinnitus, deepening our understanding of its causes as well as improving diagnoses, treatments, and prevention. HHF is truly grateful for our long partnership with the Les Paul Foundation.
Sue Baker is the program director at the Les Paul Foundation. You can hear Les Paul’s music, watch videos of him performing, and access interviews with “the Wizard of Waukesha” at les-paul.com. Educational resources as well as downloadable posters are available. The Les Paul Foundation also supports Guitars for Vets, an organization that offers free guitar lessons for vets who are experiencing post-traumatic stress. When the vets complete the six-week course to help them cope with PTSD, they receive a new acoustic guitar, and they are able to jam with other G4V graduates and perform at events.