Les Paul and Django Reinhardt were two of the most influential guitarists of the 20th century, and they shared a deep mutual respect for each other, though their relationship was more of admiration than close personal friendship.
Paul’s guitar style was strongly influenced by the music of Django Reinhardt, whom he greatly admired. Following World War II, Paul sought out and made friends with Reinhardt. “I first heard Django Reinhardt in 1935 when I was in Chicago on the Radio,” said Les Paul. “It was Django and Stephane Grappelli on the recording. I just about went into shock; I’d never heard anything so great – and I didn’t realize he was doing all this with only a couple of fingers!”
The two first met in New York in the late 1940s, when Django visited the United States. Les Paul tried to get Django a better-quality guitar to play during that trip and was eager to record with him. However, no formal collaboration or recordings between the two exist.
In 1952, Paul visited France to meet Reinhardt and proposed a collaborative tour in the United States, aiming to introduce Reinhardt to American audiences. Unfortunately, this collaboration did not materialize due to Reinhardt’s untimely death in 1953. Demonstrating his deep respect and admiration, Paul took it upon himself to collect the publishing royalties owed to Reinhardt’s family, covered part of the funeral expenses, and ensured the remaining funds were given to Reinhardt’s family.
One of Paul’s cherished possessions was a Selmer acoustic guitar gifted to him by Reinhardt’s widow.
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| Mary Ford, Django Reinhardt and Les Paul. |
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| From left to right: Jazz writer / historian / pianist Leonard Feather, Les Paul, Django Reinhardt and Lionel Hampton. |
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| Third from the left, Les Paul — to his left, Django Reinhardt. Second from the right is Nat King Cole. |
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