Les Paul Trio Guitarist Lou Pallo Dead At 86

WAUKESHA, WI— New Jersey Guitarist Lou Pallo, who was part of the Les Paul Trio, died on Wednesday at 86.

Pallo was an accomplished jazz guitarist and has recorded with and/or shared the stage with Les Paul, Tony Bennett, Keith Richards, Sammy Davis, Jr. Rickie Lee Jones, John “Bucky” Pizzarelli and many others.

Following Les Paul's death in 2009, Pallo recorded a "Thank-You, Les" tribute album with Richards, Steve Miller, Les Paul's godson, Slash, Billy Gibbons and others. He also recorded the Jersey Guitar Mafia album with Pizzarelli, Frank Vignola and Al Caiola.

He has been described by musician Keith Richards as "the man of a million chords."

The Les Paul Foundation paid tribute to Pallo on Facebook.

"Lou Pallo has passed and we are with very heavy hearts. With grace and style, talent and smiles, Lou graced the stage with Les Paul for decades. He is an icon in his own right and one of the greatest musicians of our time. Lou, we shall miss you more than you will ever know. The Les Paul Foundation sends its most heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and fans of this great man. R.I.P. my friend."

Les Paul, from Waukesha, was a gold record artist. He was the inventor of multi-track and most recording techniques used today. In 1995, Les Paul established his foundation to encourage young musicians to pursue their dreams.

Michael Braunstein, Executive Director of The Les Paul Foundation, said Pallo was scouted by Les while playing clubs in New Jersey. Les was sitting in the club watching Pallo and they struck up a conversation. Their meeting led to Pallo joining the Les Paul Trio, according to Braunstein.

He told Patch the artists who showed up for the tribute "obviously had a tremendous amount of respect for both Les and Lou."

'His right-hand man'

Braunstein described Pallo as the "rock" of the group. It wasn't unusual to find Pallo in front of the club they were going to be playing with a cigarette in his mouth. Braunstein found him to be an easy-going guy and easy to work with.

Les would call him and need the band to do something and Pallo would take care of it.

"He was the one who was always on time, always present and professional and was Les' foil," Braunstein said.

While on stage, it was like a variety show with loose stories and special guests such as tap dancers, comedians, and other musicians.

"You always had Les and the music which was the main focus, but you would also have jokes and banter. Lou was always part of that,"
Braunstein told Patch.

Pallo was Les Paul's, right-hand man and was always there for his friend.

For Les Paul's 90th birthday, he was honored at Carnegie Hall in 2005. He was joined by performers including Steve Miller, Edgar Winter, Steve Lukather, Neal Schon, Richie Sambora, Jose Feliciano, Madeleine Peyroux, Will Lee, Omar Hakim, Pat Martino, Peter Frampton, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Derek Trucks, and Bucky Pizarelli among others.

Braunstein said normally it is a mess to have all these artists on stage at once.

"Lou Pallo was the guy who kept everyone in sync and it sounded great. He was the rock or the glue for Les in many regards," he said.

Braunstein said a "sideman" is very interesting because they work very hard and don't get a lot of notoriety. He added, but they are essential.

Braunstein said the two friends had each other's back.

One story was of a celebrity or well-known person being brought up on stage. Sometimes Les didn't know who the person was or they weren't on his radar. Without skipping a beat, Pallo would step in and make sure any awkward moments were covered up.

"Whenever we traveled or where Les went, Lou was sure to go," he said.

Braunstein said both men spoke the same language and could tell "they knew each other's rhythms."