For Immediate Release:
From Coast to Coast Organizations Plan Events to Help Celebrate Les Paul’s 103rd Birthday
June 9th, 2018 Marks Birthday of the “Father of Modern Music”
New York, New York – June 4, 2018 – The Les Paul Foundation will celebrate Les Paul’s 103rd Birthday throughout June, highlighting Saturday, June 9th, 2018, with events planned around the country by organizations who support the Foundation’s mission to honor the legacy of the man who invented the solid body guitar, multi-tracking recording, overdubbing and a host of other music techniques. Les Paul, known as the “Father of Modern Music” as well as the “Wizard of Waukesha” would have turned 103 years old on the 9th of June this year.
The Foundation kicks off the 3rd annual Les Paul Spirit Award on June 9th, 2018 at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. This year’s recipient, Nile Rodgers, follows past year’s recipients U2’s The Edge and Grateful Dead’s founding member Bob Weir. From June 8-11, 2018, The Les Paul Foundation will celebrate Les at Bonnaroo by hosting a dedicated area at the Bonnaroo Works Fund Tent at Centeroo at the festival. Fans can win daily prizes and check out a new line of Les Paul collectible merchandise. All month long the Foundation will also offer “Les Paul: In His Own Words” hardcover book at a very special birthday price. The book is available online at lespaul.merchdirect.com. Partners including powerhouse WSM Radio (Nashville) will kick off a week long promotion on June 9th where listeners have a chance to learn about Les and win Les Paul prize packs.
Les Paul Foundation grantees have planned special events and promotions to also celebrate the historic birthday. The Hearing Health Foundation (HHF New York) will feature Les’ efforts to help find a cure for tinnitus in its June magazine issue and Notes for Notes (N4N) Nashville will release original tracks written by N4N youth from its upcoming Les Paul Remix album on June 9th via the N4N website and social media platforms. The full-length album will feature tracks inspired by Les Paul’s innovations utilizing his inventions and music.
Other grantees including the Wisconsin School of Music Association will celebrate Les Paul’s 103rd via social media. In California the Bay Area Music Project will present the Les Paul Innovator Award to a talented 5th grader and Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers (H.E.A.R) will have a special showing of “Listen Smart,” featuring a cameo appearance by Les Paul. The Women’s Audio Mission in San Francisco will be presenting an immersive recording conference for women at Capitol Records on June 9th.
Other celebrations around the country include The University of Colorado, who will hold a special birthday celebration and screening of a Les Paul film; The Litchfield Jazz Camp in Connecticut will host a special presentation on Les Paul by Nikki Parrot of the Les Paul Trio; Free Guitars for Future Stars in Wonder Lake, Illinois will host a Les Paul birthday event at the Woodstock Public Library; Mahwah Museum and Ramapo College will host a workshop on Les Paul’s inventions in New Jersey; Rowan University, also in New Jersey, will host a special open house concentrating on Les Paul’s contribution to music; Little Kids Rock in New York will host the Les Paul Foundation and announce the launch of a dynamic new Les Paul related online component to their website while also celebrating Les Paul at the NYC Jamfest.
Students at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland will record using Les Paul techniques on Les Paul guitars and experience bass using Les Paul recording techniques; Trillium Family Services in Portland, Oregon will share Les Paul stories in the classroom throughout the week; Philadelphia’s Drexel University MAD Dragon Community Recording (MDCR) will host a free public event with guitarist Jerry Bernhardt; Stax Music Academy in Memphis will hold its “Be the Band” workshop; Legacy Music Alliance in Salt Lake City will celebrate with guitar instruction workshops; Discovery World of Wisconsin is throwing a birthday party for Les; Guitars for Vets will perform at Waukesha’s Friday Night Live; The Les Paul Middle School in Waukesha will host a concert celebrating Les Paul on the same stage Les performed as a kid; the Shell Lakes Art Center in Wisconsin will celebrate Les Paul at their summer concerts and the Waukesha County Historical Society and Museum will host tours of the Les Paul Experience.
For more information on Les Paul and all the events planned in honor of his 103rd birthday go to www.lespaulfoundation.org
ABOUT THE LES PAUL FOUNDATION:
The mission of the Les Paul Foundation is to honor and share the life, spirit and legacy of Les Paul by supporting music education, engineering and innovation as well as medical research. The Les Paul Foundation is an approved IRC 501(c)3 organization that awards grants to music, music engineering and sound programs that serve youths. This year The Les Paul Foundation continues its celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Les Paul. The foundation also provides grants for medical research. The Les Paul Foundation also supports public exhibits which display Les Paul’s life achievements, events that engage fans and students and music releases and related launches which bring about excitement for the sound of Les Paul. For more information go to www.lespaulfoundation.org
Social media:
https://www.facebook.com/lespaulfoundation
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PRESS CONTACT
Caroline Galloway
440-591-3807
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