Most of us can’t live without music. Every party we go to and every ASU event we attend plays music. We listen to our iPods at the gym, we blast the radio in the car and we put on tunes to do homework or just relax.

Music is our culture.

The world said goodbye to a hero this month, a masterful musician who molded modern music. Les Paul, who was heard on national radio, played alongside stars such as Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby, won three Grammys and gained entrance to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, passed away Aug. 13. In his 90s and up until the very end, he was still playing shows every week in New York, cracking jokes and astounding fans as he kept on “shredding.”

Despite being one of the most talented and acclaimed musicians of the past century, Les Paul’s greatest legacy is probably his killer namesake guitar. A visionary inventor, he was never happy with the sound of hollow body guitars and their vibrating wood tops. Les Paul dreamed of a guitar with the clear sound of pure strings.

So after years of hard work and near-electrocution, Les Paul produced his first solid body electric guitar, which he called “the log,” in 1941. The guitar company Gibson fell in love with this inspired chunk of wood and partnered with Paul in 1952 to build the famous Les Paul guitar.

Think of your favorite rock artist — chances are he or she plays a Les Paul. Sheryl Crow might never have soaked up the sun without her Gibson Les Paul. Bob Marley might never have shot the sheriff. Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Keith Richards, Eddie Van Halen and countless others have rocked the Paul as well. Slash, Jimmy Page and Ace Frehley have even created personalized editions.

But Les Paul’s contribution doesn’t stop here; he also completely transformed recording technology. He invented overdubbing, which is recording new parts over existing tracks, and multi-track recording, where each instrument is recorded separately.

Could you imagine Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” without the overdubbing that created the famous chorus? The Beatles and the Beach Boys used multi-track recording in their day, and multi-track remains the main method for recording pop music today. In fact, college students can now record entire albums on their laptops just by using multi-track software, such as Audition, Logic Pro or Pro Tools.

So if we really think about it, we actually owe Les Paul … everything.

He revolutionized the musical instruments and the recording industry that set the tone of our culture and our everyday lives. Music just wouldn’t be the same without him.

As guitarist Tom Morello put it, “If you have ever ‘rocked’ or ‘been rocked,’ you can thank Les Paul.” Let’s remember and give thanks to Les Paul for his invaluable contributions to our world.

Hannah wishes you a great semester and can be reached at hannah.wasserman@asu.edu.