Born Lester Polfuss in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Les Paul is an American guitarist and guitar builder. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-bodied electric guitar. In 1941, he created his first prototype, which he called “the log.” The log was nothing more than a common four-by-four fence post with bridge, guitar neck, and pickup attached. He also invented the floating guitar bridge, electrodynamic pickups, dual pickup guitars, and the “Les Paul-veriser,” a machine used during performances to record sounds, play them back, and electronically modify them. He is also an innovator of recording studio technology, developing such radical trends as multitracking, echo delay, and positional close-miking techniques. He primarily worked out of his garage in California, where he recorded for Capitol Records.

To this day no one knows exactly how the “Paulveriser” works, but it's clear that some of the things it does still cannot be exactly duplicated with current technology.

Les Paul continues to perform weekly in New York City. He won a Grammy in 2006, at the age of ninety, for Les Paul and Friends: American Made, World Played.