Les Paul
Pioneered multitrack recording and overdubbing while championing the solid-body electric guitar that bears his name.
Veronica's Take
Les Paul, the guitarist and inventor who lived from 1915 to 2009, revolutionized music production by pioneering multitrack recording and overdubbing in his garage—half of everything you've ever heard on a record started there. Before him, music was recorded in single, flat layers; he gave artists a new dimension to build sound upon sound, a technique that became the backbone of modern recording studios. Oh, and he also designed the solid-body electric guitar that bears his name, proving that he was as much a sonic architect as he was a musician. His innovations are the reason your favorite albums sound the way they do, and his influence is as solid as the guitar he built.
He invented the studio trick of stacking a performance on itself, meaning half of everything you've ever heard on a record started in his garage.
Key Facts
The people behind Les Paul
Les Paul
profileGuitarist / Inventor — historical
Pioneered multitrack recording and overdubbing while championing the solid-body electric guitar that bears his name.
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