HOW HIGH THE MOON

......... Quite a few artists did come through the factory. I met Michael Johnson up in the product room and we struck up a conversation about how good his guitar sound came across on TV. I would later get to know one of his sidemen Russ Pahl very well. Word came through the “Twork vine” that Les Paul was coming in to visit. You could say what you will about Danny Twork who sat at a desk across from me, he knew what was going on around there, even when he was not supposed to.

It was in December of ‘87 ,and there was quite a bit of Christmas spirit and panic around the place. I brought in an old Les Paul and Mary Ford album, and an 8x10 photo, that was taken at Les’ house around 1962. I had got it from Sandy DeVito, who was in it along with Les, Charlie Byrd, Sophocles Pappas and several others including “some guy from the Pentagon.” It was taken the morning after one of Les’ notorious ALL NIGHT PARTIES that Jack Parr used to speak of. Everyone but Sophocles looked wiped out. Sandy had taught guitar at our store in Florida, but was originally from New Jersey. His cousin by the way is Danny DeVito. Sandy is a great guitarist and a bit of a cutup himself. Well I stuck the stuff in my desk to keep it handy, as no one knew exactly when Les was due to arrive. I was at the copy machine in the hall when I hear this voice say,.... “HEY PAL, Can you help me find Tim Shaw?” I turn and there he stands Rhubarb Red, one Lester Poulfus AKA Les Paul. I felt I was with a true living legend, hell I knew I was, and a true character to boot. He was dressed in a dark blue suit and had a purple wooden banana in his breast pocket.

I said, “Sure Les I’ll take you to Tim”. We took the long, long , long way around the plant, and I got to talk with him quite a bit. I remember asking him what that noise was in the middle of his solo on “How High The Moon”. It was a loud crack, sounding like something fell. Les recorded at home in his garage in LA and later in his basement in Jersey. He told me it was his foot coming down on the asphalt tile floor. “Gee Les”, I thought it was a shovel or rake falling off the garage wall”. He laughed. As we wandered around the factory making our way towards Tim’s, the workers were abandoning the lines and coming over to shake his hand. Les was loving it, and I couldn’t help but contrast it to my experience with Chet. When I showed Les the photo taken in his driveway he said “WHERE IN THE HELL DID YOU GET THIS?” I told him about Sandy teaching in our store. He just shook his head and said, “Yeah ..we used to have SOME parties.” I told him about Sandy telling me about Thumbs Carlisle. “Oh yeah .......I had old Thumbs sitting in the outhouse NAKED with a spotlight on him, ripping of some great lines (playing guitar) and the door was open wide”. Yea I thought this is the Les Paul I had heard so many stories about over the years. The album jacket with How High The Moon on it sits proudly on the wall of my home studio. The inscription reads “ To Ken, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK Howdy Les Paul 12/87” . Vaya Con Dios Les. A few months later I was contacted by a woman author who’s name I can’t recall. She was writing a biography on Les and wanted to interview me. How she got my name is a mystery unless Les told her to look me up at Gibson. I told her the Thumbs Carlisle story.

NOW BE SURE TO PLAY A -1 ON THE MIGHTY WURLITZER BEFORE YOU GO

AFTER ALL LES WOULD LIKE YOU TO & IT'S HIS BIRTHDAY !!!

Click Hear For A-1

Want Some More?

Here's another Les Paul Story About When I Got My First Les Paul Guitar In 1962

there's a song there too!

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