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Father of the electric guitar is lauded by legends like Clapton and Page

NEW YORK - Take it from Peter Frampton. Or from Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Peter Townsend or Jimmy Page — they all owe a debt to Les Paul, father of the electric guitar.

“They all mention Les as an inspiration because of [his] early records, which were jaw-dropping when you first heard them as a novice guitarist,” says Frampton, who recalls learning licks off of Paul’s records as a 9-year-old in England. “We revere him, but Les is so genuine and down-to-earth that he’s still one of the lads.”

At age 90, the man who developed the solid-body electric guitar has finally released his first rock album, which is remarkable considering that he is a longtime inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He appears with Frampton, Beck, Clapton, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora and other guitar legends on the new CD.