A Tribute to Les Paul and Mary Ford

The Eastern Monroe Public Library in Stroudsburg, PA presented another installment of their BookHouse Series on Friday June 22nd featuring a Tribute to Lester William Polsfuss and Iris Colleen Summers who are better known as Les Paul and Mary Hart. The tribute was given by Tom Doyle and Sandy Cory who mixed musical numbers the famous couple were associated with along with numerous stories detailing their lives and the technical innovations to the performance and recording of music Mr. Paul had made. Tom Doyle and Sandy Cory were met by a sizable audience of music lovers to partake of the tribute honoring the music and lives of Les Paul and Mary Hart.

Les Paul (Lester William Polsfuss) was born in Waukesha, WI in 1915. His parents divorced when he was a child and his early interest in music was encouraged by his mother. As his talents grew beyond his years, Les Paul not only proved himself to be an accomplished musician by the age of 13, he also improved upon or invented many of technical aspects of performance still utilized in the present day. Some of these include the neck-worn harmonica holder and the guitar amplifier. Later in life, he experimented with the design and acoustics of guitars until what became the famous Gibson Les Paul Guitars was created and became the favorite instrument of many renowned guitarists such as Eric Clapton.

In 1945, Les Paul met Iris Colleen Summers (aka Mary Ford) and they began working together in 1948. They were married a year later and became famous for their renditions of songs such as their most popular “Vaya con Dios.” They shared a vibrant and popular career with one another starring in a program presented on The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) Radio Network titled, “Les Paul and Mary Ford At Home” which was later presented on Television. They also performed in various venues around the world.

The popularity of the couple began to dwindle during the mid 1950s with the advent of the musical form known as Rock n Roll. During the early 60s, Mary Ford filed for divorce on the grounds of cruelty and was awarded $5,000 a month for temporary alimony. Les Paul filed later citing Mary Ford committed adultery with several men. However, most of these charges were dropped as an uncontested divorce was granted on December 17th, 1964.

After the divorce, Les Paul continued performing and received many awards for his contributions to music. Mary Ford began a solo career and later found some success recording with her sisters. Les Paul died of complications from pneumonia on August 13th, 2009 in White Plains, NY at the age of 94 with his last concert taking place a few weeks before his death. Mary Ford died while in a diabetic coma on September 30th, 1977 in Arcadia, CA at the age of 53. On her tombstone, one can find the year of her birth (1924) alongside the words, “Vaya con Dios” (which translates to “Goodbye, and go with God”).

The tribute given by Tom Doyle and Sandy Cory was informative and entertaining. The stories Mr. Doyle shared added substance to the instrumentals and the songs Ms. Cory sang with her pleasant voice. This created an enjoyable evening for those who have become enamored by the music of Les Paul and Mary Ford as well as those who are unfamiliar with their contributions to the art of music. You’ll be able to find more photographs taken during the concert at the BookHouse 2012 Gallery at www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150596755195421.441761.636000420&type=3.

Tom Doyle began playing guitar at age of 8 after first hearing Les Paul and Mary Ford. He began emulating Les Paul as well as the Chet Atkins by collecting all of their records attempting to mimic their unique style while developing his own. He later performed with his sister with the duo eventually becoming the opening act for Richie Havens, the Lovin’ Spoonful, the Butterfield Blues Band, and many others. It was during this time Mr. Doyle met and formed a friendship with Les Paul lasting over 40 years serving as his sound engineer since 1982.

As an accomplished guitar builder in his own right, Tom Doyle began holding workshops in guitar construction. It was during one of these workshops he met Sandy Cory in which he soon became enamored by her musical talents and of her. They began performing with one another and later became married. They continue to perform and record in the New York area combining beautiful instrumentation of guitar, vocals, flute, and drums at various clubs, private parties, and benefits around the country. You can learn more about Tom Doyle and Sandy Cory by Exploring their website at www.tomdoyleguitars.com.

The Eastern Monroe Public Library (aka The Hughes Library) is located on N. 9th Street (aka route 611) in Stroudsburg, PA. It is the main branch of the Monroe County, PA library system which include their Pocono Township Branch in Tannersville, PA and their Smithfield’s Branch in Marshalls Creek, PA. The library offers access to numerous books, DVDs, Audio Recordings, and cultural programs free to the public. The library’s BookHouse series is part of its cultural programs designed to provide a venue for literary and musical events which are outside of the commercial and literary mainstream.

The next BookHouse Concert will feature an evening with Blues Musician Toby Walker on Friday July 27th beginning at 7:30pm and is free to the public. Please Contact Linnae Cintron at 570-421-0800 x28 or Explore The Eastern Monroe Public Library Website at www.monroepl.org/bookhouse.html to learn more information about the library, their BookHouse series, and all the institution has to offer the community.