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Tributes for guitar legend Les Paul; dead at 94

NEW YORK – Musicians worldwide are paying tribute to Les Paul, the music icon whose solid-body electric guitar paved the way for rock 'n' roll.

The guitar virtuoso who died Thursday at age 94 performed with some of early pop's biggest names and produced a slew of hits, many with wife Mary Ford. But it was his inventive streak that made him universally revered by guitar gods as their original ancestor and earned his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the most important forces in popular music.

"He actually taught himself to play guitar in order to demonstrate his electronic theories," said Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. "All of us owe an unimaginable debt to his work and his talent."

Paul died in suburban White Plains of complications from pneumonia. He was remembered as a tireless tinkerer whose quest for a particular sound led him to create the first solid-body electric guitar. His invention became the standard instrument for legends like Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page.

Billy Powell, keyboardist for Lynard Skynard..

Pictured in the middle.

After graduating from high school, Powell entered college and, not surprisingly, majored in Music Theory. He also studied music in what many would consider a less practical way, by becoming a roadie for the Lynyrd Skynyrd rock group and performing with the band Alice Marr. After a couple of years of working with Lynard Skynard as a roadie, Powell let the group hear what he could do on the keyboards. It was 1972 and Ronnie VanZant was so impressed with what he heard that Powell was giving the job of the bands keyboardist on the spot. Things went from good to great, life slowly becoming a dream come true for Powell and his bandmates as they set about making album rock history

Legendary blues and jazz guitarist Jeff Healey has died, his publicist said Sunday. The Canadian musician had battled cancer his entire life.

"It was something he fought with considerable bravery," his publicist, Richard Flohil, told Newsnet late Sunday.

Healey, 41, had lost his eyesight to a rare form of the disease, retinoblastoma, at the age of one.

The musician had performed with such acclaimed guitar players as B. B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins and George Harrison.

His full name was Norman Jeffrey Healey and he passed away Sunday in the city of his birth, Toronto, at St. Joseph's Hospital.

Healey first began playing guitar at the age of three and formed his first band while still a teenager, according to his website. He played with a very distinctive style, laying his guitar on his lap.

"Visually, Jeff was an intriguing player to watch, because he played guitar -- by any conventional standard -- all wrong, with it flat across his lap," said Flohil. "But he was remarkable, a virtuoso player."

One of his best-known songs, "Angel

Sky Saxon from the 60's one hit wonder band The Seeds

Bob Bogle one of thre founding members of the band The Ventures