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October 10, 2008
Slash, Richie Sambora, Billy Gibbons and other guitar greats booked for Les Paul tribute concert Nov. 15 at State Theatre
Slash of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver, Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top are among the musical luminaries lined up for a Les Paul tribute concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at PlayhouseSquare's State Theatre in Cleveland. The show is the climax of a weeklong American Music Masters salute to electric-guitar pioneer Paul, presented by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Case Western Reserve University and Gibson Guitar Corp.
"I have tremendous respect for Les Paul," Slash said. "He's such an icon in the guitar-playing world, let alone the recording world."
Also on the bill: the Ventures, Alannah Myles (best known for her 1990 hit "Black Velvet") and various hotshot guitarists, including former Elvis Presley sideman James Burton, Dennis Coffey of Motown's Funk Brothers, the Patti Smith Group's Lenny Kaye, Steve Lukather of Toto, Barbara Lynn and Jennifer Batten.
Paul, 93, is expected to attend, too. His name has graced a line of Gibson guitars since 1952.
"I'm looking forward to it," said Slash (real name: Saul Hudson), reached by phone Wednesday at home in Los Angeles.
Yes, he played a Les Paul guitar on Guns N' Roses' immortal "Sweet Child o' Mine" -- and on countless other songs in Slash's repertoire.
"A lot of great guitar players played a Les Paul, so I identified with the sound of it," Slash said. "It's an extension of what I'm trying to communicate as a musician."
Concert tickets -- $30, $40 and $50 -- are on sale at the PlayhouseSquare box office and at PlayhouseSquare.org, or charge by phone, 216-241-6000. VIP packages, $250 (including admission to a pre-show cocktail reception) and $500 (cocktail reception and after-party), can be purchased by calling 216-515-1207.
Paul designed and built one of the first solid-body electric guitars in the early 1940s. He also developed the first eight-track tape recorder and enjoyed success as a chart-topping recording artist.
Paul became a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer in 1988, enshrined in the early influence category. He is the subject of a permanent exhibit at the museum.
Posted by riesambo at October 10, 2008 06:21 AM