An influential guitarist and recording artist, Les Paul fundamentally changed the way in which popular music was produced. Among many innovations, he developed the first successful techniques of multi-tracking and the eight-track tape recorder, which led directly to modern recording technology.

Lester Polsfuss was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on June 9, 1915. He began playing harmonica at the age of eight, performing at every opportunity. By age 12 he was a sidewalk musician, playing for tips. Over the next few years he taught himself guitar and formed his first band in 1929.

At age 17 Polsfuss dropped out of high school and became a full-time professional musician. During the following six years he performed in a bewildering number of radio and personal appearances, under several different stage names and in a variety of smaller and larger acts. Somewhere along the line he changed his name to the more easily...