H IG H LIG H TS IN THIS ISSUE: Dinah Shore profile Lunceford CD review Georgia Gibbs anecdote FIRST-CLASS MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID Atlanta, GA Permit No. 2022 BIG BAND JIMP NEWSLETTER VOLUME 103 BIG BAND JUMP NEWSLETTER ___________MARCH-APRIL 2006 INTERVIEW WITH LES PAUL (Part Two) The Background Last issue Les Paul talked about his early days playing country and western music when he was known as ‘Rhubarb Red,’ then filled us in on his invention of the solid-body guitar, the clever means he devised to meet and work for Bing Crosby and his thrilling experience with ‘Jazz at the Philharmonic.’ The Les Paul life is so rich in both musical and technical achievement, it was necessary to continue his interview to cover events of his later life. In this issue Les Paul talks about his work for Armed Forces Radio Service and V-Discs, his near fatal acci­ dent and his development of multi-track recording. The Les Paul today, surrounded by his electronic devices. first question dealt with Les Paul’s days as a soldier/ musician in the service. very privileged and very grateful for that. BBJ: Tell us about your recollections of your work BBJ: You did a marathon session for V-Discs in with AFRS and some of the specific shows for August of 1945 when you Recorded 32 tunes the armed forces. in a single day. LP: 1 had a trio in the armed forces on the same LP: Oh yeah. That was nothing to do that. We did street that I lived on. I would play for, in the that a lot. Sometimes we were up at six armed forces, Kate Smith, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, o’clock in the morning and we would go, start sessions, Rudy Vallee, anybody you want to name. Amos & and it would be with Dinah Shore and it would be with Andy....there’s nobody I haven’t played for. That goes Judy Garland. It would be this one and that one....a for Reagan, that goes for Gary Cooper, that goes for lotta ’ singers. And we ’ d run one in and run the next one Laurel & Hardy; just goes for everyone. Played for ‘em in and the next one in and the next day would be all stuff all. Harry James, all of ‘em. for the armed forces with my quartet which I had in the armed forces. Then I played in the band also, so I’m We did “Jubilee,” “Mail Call,” “Command Perfor­ playing with Orson Welles, I’m playing with every­ mance,” all of the best shows. “At Ease.” And they body that you could dream of. So it was just a....it was were all shipped to the forces overseas, and of course a wonderful....V-Discs was very good to us. They that’s where Django would hear Les Paul. That’s swapped the material between the armed forces and V- where Tokyo Rose would get our records and play ‘em Discs. to the troops, telling them to lay down their arms and join the Japanese, and all of that. And so I was around I had another great job and my job was to pick the jazz the world working with the armed forces. It was one of people. Meredith Wilson was my commanding officer the greatest breaks that anybody could ask for. I was and he used to ask me if I would do him that favor and VOLUME 103 BIG BAND JUMP NEWSLETTER MARCH-APRIL 2006 pick ‘em because he didn’t know jazz. It was great to have all the greats like Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster and you know, Chu Berry, on and on with the tenor men and you’d do the same thing pickin’ five great piano players or the five guitar players or vibes players or clarinet players; Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman and the rest of ‘em. BBJ: Do you like one of your V-Discs above all the others? LP: You know I don’t know. We have so many V- Discs and so many armed forces discs. And look, it goes for my inventions, whether it’s the guitar, whether it’s writing songs, whatever it is, people ask, “What are you most proud of?” And I can’t say I’m proud of any one particular thing any more than the other. At the time when I make something like ALABAMY BOUND or RUNNIN’ WILD or I play something I’m very proud of at that moment, or Mary is very proud of what she’s singin’....HOW HIGH THE MOON, whatever it is, at that moment that is the biggest day. But then four hours later I invent some­ The dashing younger Les Paul thing and that’s the round wheel and that’s what I’m most excited about. do ‘ em right here in my garage and that ’ s too bi g a band and I don’t think I wanna’ go there.” I should have done it. To this day I don’t pay much attention to what people say... .they can say some very nice things and I appreci­ Since then I have recorded some Big Bands: Doc ate them, but I don’t let ‘em get to me where I start Severinsen, Joe Bushkin, a lot of guys in my band here believing how great I am. I never think that way. I like in New Jersey. And I close mic ‘em and I get the to wear my Levis; I just don’t want to be big and greatest sound out of that band. famous. BBJ: Is it true that Helen Forrest kissed you after a BBJ: You have some un-released recordings of Kay recording session? Starr. LP: Yes, she did and so did Ben Bemie! He came LP: Kay Starr and I have hung out together and she out of the control room and ran over and kissed used to come into my backyard and record, and me because of how they liked the way I played. That’s I made some recordings that’re gonna’ be a treat to quite shocking to me, and when Ben Bemie came out release, and put ‘em on the air and let these people hear slobberin’ with that cigar he had....when he came over Kay Starr and Les Paul playing in that garage. You’ll and kissed me, that’s the first GUY that did that to me. appreciate this. Who walks in my back yard but Tex And he kisses me and he said, “Where have you been Beneke. Tex says, “Les, I want to ask a favor of you.” all my life?” He says, “I want you to do my recording dates.” And I says, “Well I can’t do ‘em here in this garage, I BBJ: Back to Helen Forrest. couldn’t get you guys in there.” And he says, “No, you do ‘em at RCA.” And I don’t know to this day why I LP: It was when she was on one of my albums, “Les didn’t do it, other than the fact that I said, “No, I wanna’ Paul and Friends.” It’s the one that’s on 2 VOLUME 103 BIG BAND JUMP NEWSLETTER MARCH-APRIL 2006 Universal right now, and she sings on it. She was a good LP: I called Dave Kapp. He came over and listened band singer. Well, she came in and I’d heard of her but to it and he says, “Well, that’ll maybe sell one she’d never heard of me, and of course when she come record and I’ll give you a couple of cents for a record. out, oh my goodness she just loved the fact that I’d just RCA had problems with the engineering union. If you played these couple of....you know, you know the key record within 3 3 miles of a recording studio, you had to to it is not to play too much and to play the right note in use an engineer... .one of their engineers. Well I wouldn ’ t the right place. Most people that play have a go for that. tendency....they don’t want to hear anything blank. They don’t want to hear ‘nothing’ and ‘nothing’ is just I took my 21 multiple track recordings to Capitol as important as the note is. My job is to make a person Records. They had a canvas sign that said Capitol better. Whoever that person is, performing, is the star, Records. And I walked in this little side door....the so he’s the picture and I am merely the frame around people were leaving, it was five o’clock....and I says, that picture and what I should do is do everything I can “Who runs this place?” She says, “Well, they’re all do to make that person sound better. leaving now, it’s five o’clock.” I backed up the stair­ way and they thought I was leaving with the rest of BBJ: Tell us about the studio in your garage where them. And I backed up there and there’s the vice- you made the first multi-track recordings. president, Jim Conklin, and he’s packing his suitcase to come to New York, and he was about to leave and I says, LP: Well, it’s a little long, but I’ll tell you how it “Knock, knock.” And he says, “Who is it?” I says, “Les happened.