as he reaches his 90th birthday.
On the very day, June 9th, 2005 Lester William Polfuss aka Les Paul was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
Les truly is one of the great guitar innovators, as well as one of the great players, he’s still tinkering with the guitars that bear his name including the new Gibson Digital Les Paul.
For a full interview with Les Paul and a quick run through the story of his life and how it changed music check out Modern Guitars.
Other inductees included in the Songwriters Hall of Fame were Steve Cropper (“Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay”, “Knock on Wood”); Isaac Hayes (“Soul Man”, “Hold on, I’m Comin'”, “Theme from Shaft”); David Porter (who co-wrote “Hold on I’m Comin'” and “Soul Man” with Hayes); John Fogerty; Richard and Robert Sherman; Bill Withers; Alicia Keys (who received the Starlight Award for young songwriters); and, Smokey Robinson (a previous inductee who received the Johnny Mercer Award).