Les Paul, Guitar Wizard (Wisconsin Historical Society Press), by Bob Jacobson

The Les Paul story has been told many times, but finally, children get their version. The latest installment in the Badger Biographies series begins with the 15-year old musical and electrical prodigy already about to embark on a career that would change the sound of music. Although he was an agile musician who racked up hits and starred in his own TV show, his importance was in developing the electric guitar (no, he wasn't actually the first electric guitarist) and multi-track recording. As Madison author Bob Jacobson points out, Paul was forever tinkering and taking things apart to see how they worked, even as a child growing up in Waukesha.