9781422287521

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In the summer of 1929, guitarist Les Paul figured out how to amplify the sound of his guitar strings, creating the solid-body electric guitar. His invention would revolutionize popular music in the 1950s, leading to a new form of music known as rock ’n’ roll.

Red Hot Red

s a young boy growing up in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Lester William Polfuss often annoyed his parents and friends with constant and endless ques- tions about how things worked. It seemed the boy was most curious about radios, telephones, and other house- hold electrical devices. As Lester devoted many hours at home to tinkering with radios, he started listening more and more to the programs broadcast over the airwaves . He grew increas- ingly interested in the guitar players he heard on the radio, and decided to learn how to play the instrument himself. He had been taking piano lessons for some time and was considered a talented musician. Lester had per- fect pitch—he could hear a song once, recognize the notes, and be able to play it back with little or no practice.

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