His quest for a particular sound led him to create his electric guitar that forever changed the world of music.
The WGN Radio team of Steve King and Johnnie Putman had a longtime personal relationship with Paul. He often called them on their late-night show after ending a performance.
They shared some memories with ABC7 Friday morning. Steve and Johnnie said Paul actually spoke with his guitar, and that his most devoted fans could understand the language with every chord.
Paul was 94.
Steve and Johnnie brought in a guitar they say Paul learned to play on. "This is a guitar his mom got from the Sears Roebuck catalog," King said. "This is the guitar he learned how to play on. We said, 'Les, this belongs in a museum.' He said, 'You will show it to people, won't you?' So, we're showing it to people."
"He had such a zest for life," said Putman. "He loved people. If you were a window watcher, he wanted to talk to you about it, how long have you been doing it? He never met a stranger."
Click here to watch the full interview
You can find out more about Steve & Johnnie and their WGN Radio show at http://www.wgnradio.com/shows/stevejohnnie/