Les Paul's Car Crash

Les Paul and Mary Ford were driving on Route 66 in Oklahoma during a snowstorm on January 2, 1948.

Arm Injury Details

Paul broke multiple ribs, his nose, cracked vertebrae, fractured his pelvis, punctured his spleen, and shattered his right arm.

One-Hand Guitar Plan

Paul conceived a guitar that would let him play with one hand if his arm was amputated.

“I thought, if they're going to amputate my arm, I'll play the guitar with one hand.”

Synthesized Guitar Concept

Paul described a synthesized guitar where the left hand keys notes to sound like playing with both hands.

“To do that, I conceived the synthesized guitar, which you play with your left hand. You key the notes so it sounds like you're playing with both hands.”

Gibson's Interest

Gibson approached Paul about a Belgian guitarist who used an organ-like sound, but Paul dismissed the idea as too expensive.

“They were talking to me about this fellow from Belgium with a guitar that sounded like an organ. I said, 'You want me to tell you just how he does it? I know all about it; I can tell you exactly what he does!'”

Workshop Destruction

Paul's former home and workshop were destroyed by developers, leaving his son heartbroken.