Lester William Polsfuss was born on June 9, 1915 in Waukesha,
Wisconsin and Iris Colleen Summers was born on July 7, 1924,
in Pasadena, California. As Les Paul & Mary Ford they together
revolutionized the recording industry and dominated the
Hit Parade with their unique sound.
Les Paul is credited as a pioneer in the development of the electric
guitar and the father of multi-track recording. Dropping out of
high school in his teens he was performing as a country music
guitarist on KMOX radio in St. Louis, Missouri and in the 1930’s
as a jazz musician on radio in Chicago, Illionos.
Les Paul teamed with Mary Ford, a country music singer in 1946
and by 1949 they were married. Using the technique created by Les,
Mary was recorded singing multi harmony resulting in a #1 Hit
Parade topper in April, 1951, “Mockin’ Bird Hill”, followed that
summer with another #1 hit, “How High the Moon” and two more
top five hits "The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise"
and "Just One More Chance"
before that year would end.
They hit in 1952
with, "Tiger Rag", “In the Good Old Summertime”,
“I’m Confessin’ that I Love
You.” "Smoke Rings" and a top five
instrumental from
Les “Meet Mr. Callaghan”.
In the top ten of 1953 were "Bye, Bye Blues" and "I'm Sitting On Top Of The World."
But it was the song that stayed on the charts for a record breaking 35 weeks,
11 weeks straight at #1, “Vaya Con Dios” that was the biggest hit of the year
for Les and Mary. The flip side, "Johnny Is The Boy For Me," also nearly
landed in the top ten.
In 1954 their were three more top ten hits, "Whither Thou Goest,"
"I Really Don't Want To Know" and "I'm A Fool To Care".
In 1978 Les Paul and Mary Ford were inducted into the Grammy
Hall of Fame. In 1983, Les received a Grammy Trustees Award
for his lifetime achievements. In 2006 at the age of 90, Les Paul
won two more Grammys. He was also inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Les Paul and Mary Ford
have also been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Mary Ford died in Arcadia, California on September 30, 1977.
She was 53 years of age.
