Les Paul Died of Complications From Pneumonia

Les Paul, 94, a Grammy Award-winning guitar virtuoso, typically assigned to chug along rhythmically and compliantly, to the forefront of jazz and rock-and-roll performance, died today August 13, 2009, Les Paul died of complications from pneumonia at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, NY. Les Paul family and friends were by his side when he die.

Les Paul was the godfather of rock guitarist Steve Miller of the Steve Miller Band, to whom Les Paul gave his first guitar lesson. Les Paul resided in Mahwah, New Jersey.

Les Paul’s compositions include “Walkin’ and Whistlin’ Blues”, “Danger, Men at Work”, “Waitin’ So Long”, “Golden Sands”, “Dance Hall Blues”, “Big Eyed Gal”, “Deep in the Blues”, “Mammy’s Boogie”, “Hip-Billy Boogie”, “Don’cha Hear Them Bells”, “Come Back to Me”, “Cowpokin’”, “Les’s Country Blues”, “Ham ‘N’ Grits”, “Song in Blue”, “Magic Melody”, “Pacific Breeze”, “All I Need is You”, “Hawaiian Charms”, “Take a Warning”, “Mountain Railroad”, “Move Along, Baby (Don’t Waste My Time)”, and “Suspicion”, a song he composed in 1948, which was recorded by Tex Williams, Jo Stafford, and the Ray Noble Orchestra.

Although largely believed to be Les Paul’s composition, “Johnny (Is the Boy for Me)” was in fact composed in 1937 by Romanian Jew Richard Stein under the title “Sanie cu zurgălăi” (Romanian for “Sledge with Bells”). Les Paul was successfully sued for plagiarism by Stein. However, a 2000 “cover version” of “Johnny” by Belgian musical group Vaya Con Dios still credited Les Paul, which resulted an year later in another action by the Romanian Musical Performing and Mechanical Rights Society (UCMR–ADA)