Our 3rd October meeting was entertained by club member Steve Blaney - and his guitar. Not any old guitar, but a very fine ‘Les Paul’ electric guitar by Epiphone – a company now owned by the prestigious Gibson instrument maker – and it shows in the quality of their products. Steve is a very knowledgeable enthusiast and we learned much about the history of electric guitars and their invention in 1931.

Lester William Polsfuss, known as Les Paul, was an American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He was born in1915 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and died in 2009 in White Plains, New York.

We also learned that Steve had a parallel life as an entertainer, under the stage name of Steve Forrest. Over many years he toured the club circuits and it was immediately apparent that he had honed his fretboard skills to no little effect. A few riffs showed off the power and versatility of his electronic kit (as well as the great sound of the Les Paul).

The meeting was brought to a unique, possibly musical (but definitely loud) close, which involved the club performing as a (rather tentative) backing group as Steve performed a selection from his repertoire. Hardly a dry eye in the house – but a splendid evening nonetheless!

Following questions a warm vote of thanks was proposed by Roderick Skinner.

And as a ‘footnote’ it seems that a special kind of shoe is needed to match the music!