Uploaded February 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Les Paul – How High The Moon
Vocal by Mary Ford
Written by Morgan Lewis and Nancy Hamilton
78 RPM audio transfer from the Bowness Arts collection of vintage records.
Les Paul – How High The Moon / Walkin' And Whistlin' Blues
Label: Capitol Records – C-639 (Canada)
Format: Shellac, 10", 78 RPM
Released: 1951
Genre: Jazz, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Guitar with vocal
Other side of this record: Walkin' And Whistlin' Blues
youtu.be/FUygf3EqqvE
Les Paul was born Lester William Polsfuss on June 9, 1915 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He was an American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, and his prototype, called the Log, served as inspiration for the Gibson Les Paul. Paul taught himself how to play guitar, and while he is mainly known for jazz and popular music, he had an early career in country music. In the 1950s, he and his wife, singer and guitarist Mary Ford, recorded numerous records, selling millions of copies. Paul is credited with many recording innovations. His early experiments with overdubbing (also known as sound on sound), delay effects such as tape delay, phasing, and multitrack recording were among the first to attract widespread attention. His licks, trills, chording sequences, fretting techniques, and timing set him apart from his contemporaries and inspired many guitarists of the present day. Paul is one of a handful of artists with a permanent exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is prominently named by the music museum on its website as an "architect" and a "key inductee" with Sam Phillips and Alan Freed. Paul is the only inductee in both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Paul died on August 12, 2009, aged 94, in White Plains, New York.
Les Paul and Mary Ford were a popular 1950s husband-and-wife musical duo who performed and recorded during 1945–1963. They both sang and played guitars. The couple were introduced to each other by Gene Autry in 1945 and were married on December 31, 1949. They first appeared in the pop charts in 1950. Between the years 1950 and 1954, Les Paul and Mary Ford had 16 top-ten hits including "Tennessee Waltz", "Mockin' Bird Hill", "How High the Moon", "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise", "Whispering", "My Baby's Coming Home", "Lady of Spain", "Bye Bye Blues", "I'm Sitting on Top of the World", "Vaya Con Dios" and "I'm a Fool to Care". Paul and Ford are famous for creating a makeshift recording studio in their garage where they used multitrack recording to record many of their hits including ‘Lover’, ‘Nola’, ‘Brazil’ and ‘Whispering' with only the two of them. Paul and Ford divorced acrimoniously in December 1964, which also ended the collaboration between the two. The duo have a star in the Recording section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2009, they were inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
Note: The first 78 RPM record came into existence around 1894, and in 1912 the Gramophone Company established 78 rotations per minute as their recording standard. The production of shellac records continued throughout the 78 rpm era, with "non-breakable" 78 rpm vinyl records being introduced in the 1940s. The popularity of the 33 1/3 rpm "Long Play" record, initially released in 1948, caused the 78 rpm record to become obsolete before the end of the 1950s. As these 78 rpm recordings are quite old, they may contain derogatory language and/or negative stereotypes. It is important to evaluate such recordings within their historical context and consider them as a reflection of the attitudes prevalent at the time. These recordings form an integral part of the historical record and do not represent the views of this poster, channel, or Bowness Arts.
Les Paul – How High The Moon
Vocal by Mary Ford
Written by Morgan Lewis and Nancy Hamilton
78 RPM audio transfer from the Bowness Arts collection of vintage records.
Les Paul – How High The Moon / Walkin' And Whistlin' Blues
Label: Capitol Records – C-639 (Canada)
Format: Shellac, 10", 78 RPM
Released: 1951
Genre: Jazz, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Guitar with vocal
Other side of this record: Walkin' And Whistlin' Blues
youtu.be/FUygf3EqqvE
Les Paul was born Lester William Polsfuss on June 9, 1915 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He was an American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, and his prototype, called the Log, served as inspiration for the Gibson Les Paul. Paul taught himself how to play guitar, and while he is mainly known for jazz and popular music, he had an early career in country music. In the 1950s, he and his wife, singer and guitarist Mary Ford, recorded numerous records, selling millions of copies. Paul is credited with many recording innovations. His early experiments with overdubbing (also known as sound on sound), delay effects such as tape delay, phasing, and multitrack recording were among the first to attract widespread attention. His licks, trills, chording sequences, fretting techniques, and timing set him apart from his contemporaries and inspired many guitarists of the present day. Paul is one of a handful of artists with a permanent exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is prominently named by the music museum on its website as an "architect" and a "key inductee" with Sam Phillips and Alan Freed. Paul is the only inductee in both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Paul died on August 12, 2009, aged 94, in White Plains, New York.
Les Paul and Mary Ford were a popular 1950s husband-and-wife musical duo who performed and recorded during 1945–1963. They both sang and played guitars. The couple were introduced to each other by Gene Autry in 1945 and were married on December 31, 1949. They first appeared in the pop charts in 1950. Between the years 1950 and 1954, Les Paul and Mary Ford had 16 top-ten hits including "Tennessee Waltz", "Mockin' Bird Hill", "How High the Moon", "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise", "Whispering", "My Baby's Coming Home", "Lady of Spain", "Bye Bye Blues", "I'm Sitting on Top of the World", "Vaya Con Dios" and "I'm a Fool to Care". Paul and Ford are famous for creating a makeshift recording studio in their garage where they used multitrack recording to record many of their hits including ‘Lover’, ‘Nola’, ‘Brazil’ and ‘Whispering' with only the two of them. Paul and Ford divorced acrimoniously in December 1964, which also ended the collaboration between the two. The duo have a star in the Recording section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2009, they were inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
Note: The first 78 RPM record came into existence around 1894, and in 1912 the Gramophone Company established 78 rotations per minute as their recording standard. The production of shellac records continued throughout the 78 rpm era, with "non-breakable" 78 rpm vinyl records being introduced in the 1940s. The popularity of the 33 1/3 rpm "Long Play" record, initially released in 1948, caused the 78 rpm record to become obsolete before the end of the 1950s. As these 78 rpm recordings are quite old, they may contain derogatory language and/or negative stereotypes. It is important to evaluate such recordings within their historical context and consider them as a reflection of the attitudes prevalent at the time. These recordings form an integral part of the historical record and do not represent the views of this poster, channel, or Bowness Arts.
