Laura S. Jeffrey - Amazing American inventors of the 20th century

The Man Who Invented Electric Guitar

Life today would not be the same without the work of those great minds that came before. The geniuses in these books have made our world a better place through their awesome inventions.

These clearly-written books reveal the stories behind ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things."

Les Paul is a technological and a musical trailblazer, and Mr. Wyckoffs book introduces him splendidly to a new generation of readers and listeners.

About the Author

Edwin Brit Wyckoff is the cocreator of Winky Dink and You, the first interactive childrens television program. He has also written, produced, and directed hundreds of corporate meetings, films, videos, and educational programs in all media.

Les Paul grew up in Waukesha, Wisconsin, seen here as it looked in the 1930s.

Some summer days are so hot there is nothing to do but sit and watch the clouds drift by. So on one such day in 1923, eight-year-old Les Polfuss did just that. As he sat in front of his house in Waukesha, Wisconsin, a man dug a ditch in the street. Eventually the tired man sat down on the edge of the ditch. He wiped his face with a bright kerchief. Then he began to play tunes on a harmonica.

Les crept closer and closer to see how the mans hands held the instrument. Finally the man stopped, looked at Les, and offered him the harmonica. The shy boy shook his head to say no. The man blurted out, Dont say you cantuntil youve proved you cant! He shoved the harmonica into the boys hands and walked off.

Harmonicas

Les went home holding the old, dirty mouth organ. His mother grabbed it, raced to the kitchen, and boiled it clean in a pot of bubbling water. Only then did she let her son use it. Soon, Les taught himself to play the harmonica along with music on the radio.

Les (right) with his older brother, Ralph

Lester William Polsfuss was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on June 9, 1915. His father, George Polsfuss, was a very smart businessman. Less mother, Evelyn, was a hard-driving woman with very strong opinions about everything. She thought Les was a musical genius and changed his last name to Polfuss. His older brother, Ralph, didnt care much about music or inventing things. So Les was the star of the family.

As a child, Les took apart a player piano.

When he was nine, Les thought a lot about taking apart his mothers player piano. She told him not to fool with it. That was like putting cheese in a mousetrap and telling the mouse to leave it alone. Secretly, Les took apart the gears, the foot pump, and the rolls of punched paper that worked the piano keys. He punched new holes in the paper to make new music. And he put the piano back together again.

Les got his first guitar at age eleven. He rigged up a wire coat hanger to curve around his neck and hold the harmonica close to his mouth. Then he invented a way to flip the harmonica with his chin so he could get different sounds from each side. His hands were free to play the guitar. This boy was a walking, talking, singing, one-man band.

Les could play the guitar and the harmonica at the same time.

When he was just thirteen, the kid with fire-engine-red hair started raking in money with his one-man band. He played and sang outside the busiest drive-in restaurant in town. They served great barbecued ribs and chicken. Les served up great country music. One driver who rolled by yelled out that the guitar had to be louder. Les listened.

Less one-man band was a hit in his hometown of Waukesha.

The young inventor went back to work. He took one radio from his mother and one from his father to use as loudspeakers. He took apart a telephone handset to get its microphone. He hooked the whole thing right into the guitar. Then he plugged his invention into electricity from the restaurant. Tips poured in. But when there was a prizefight on radio, or a music concert his mother wanted to hear, his parents took back their radios. Les was out of money-making for the day. That was no way to run a business.

Pie Plant Petes real name was Claude Moye.

Less mother took her young genius to theaters to see great guitar players. Pie Plant Pete played wild country music, sang, and told funny stories. Evelyn took Les backstage. Pete showed him a few guitar tricks. Les picked up the tricks, practiced them overnight, and came back for more the next day. His playing got so hot that his mother started calling him Red Hot Red. Evelyn came up with a slogan Music So RottenIts Good. But Less music wasnt rotten. It was beginning to be great.

When he played with Sunny Joe, Les (right) took on the name Rhubarb Red.

Les met another fantastic guitar player named Sunny Joe Wolverton. Joe was twenty-five. Les was only sixteen, but his mother let him leave school and go on the road with Sunny Joe. Les was reborn as Rhubarb Red.

The pair played at dance clubs, theaters, and radio stations all over the Midwest. One day, Sunny decided that he wanted to see Australia. Les wanted to work in the United States, so they split up. Lester Polfuss changed his name to Les Paul, guitarist looking for work.

Real Fact!
Fifty Pounds of Solid Sound

Les was constantly trying to find a better sound using electricity. For one experiment, Les lugged home a section of steel railroad track. He put a couple of railroad spikes across the track. Then he stretched a wire from end to end of the track.

Next, he put a microphone he had taken out of a telephone under the wire. He plucked his one-string steel guitar, and the sound was perfect. There was no feedback and no squeaks or squeals that often come from electrified guitars. He had found the one perfect note of music he would remember the rest of his life.