Community Corner
Main Street History: Les Paul's Legacy Can't Be Missed Across Waukesha
From street names to monuments and continued tributes, Les Paul and his electric guitar creation are woven into the fabric of Waukesha.
WAUKESHA, WI — Visitors to Waukesha who are unfamiliar with the area may be curious about all the guitar monuments around town. It's a lot more than just a love for rock 'n' roll, though.
Often, it's a mark left in honor of electric guitar pioneer and jazz musician Les Paul, who was born in Waukesha in 1915. The more you look, the more tributes you'll find. From a prominent stretch of road around the city named after him, to guitar statues and murals, and for the truly devoted, the final resting place of Paul.
Guitar players may be best acquainted with Paul through his popular models of the instruments and the iterations of them that live on through other producers. In 2012, the show "Pawn Stars" bought a rare Les Paul guitar for nearly $100,000.
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See: Les Paul Monument Unveiled in Waukesha
The musician and creator died in 2009. His grave marker was dedicated during a special ceremony in 2011 while a 500-square-foot granite monument with slabs containing his biography and a list of his awards was unveiled at Prairie Home Cemetary in Waukesha.
Find out what's happening in Waukeshafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
If you take a walk about Waukesha, especially downtown, you're sure to see something mentioning Paul, a guitar statue, or a subtle nod to him.
You can find an online list of murals and guitars dedicated to Paul around downtown Waukesha from Visit Waukesha.
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