Lester William Polfuss was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on June 9, 1915, and lived in the 300 block of West Saint Paul Avenue. He became a world-class innovative guitarist and inventor who perfected the first solid body electric guitar, multi-track recording, echo, tape delay, and phase shifting, and his work on amplification and recording paved the way for modern techniques. The Gibson Les Paul is still used by many rock guitarists and blues musicians for its deep resonance and tone. In 1949, Les married Mary Ford, and that same year they debuted together at the Polfuss family tavern, the 400 Club, on historic Williams Street. His musical accomplishments included stage, radio, recordings, movies, television, and night clubs, including 39 gold recordings. In 1977, he and Chet Atkins received a Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance, and that same year he and Mary Ford received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Other recognitions included the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame Star, and induction in the Hall of Fame for the Wisconsin Area Music and Industry and Waukesha County Arts and Alliance. The Les Paul Parkway around the city of Waukesha and a performance center are also named after him. Known as the Wizard of Waukesha, Les Paul died on August 12, 2009, and is buried at Prairie Home Cemetery in Waukesha.