Lawrence was born in 1931 and grew up in Pasadena, California. He became interested in music at an early age and began playing the guitar at the age of 14. He was also interested in electronics and began experimenting with building and modifying guitars.
In the early 1950s, Lawrence met Les Paul, who was then working on developing a new type of electric guitar. Lawrence was impressed with Paul's work and began to work with him on the development of the Gibson Les Paul guitar.
After working with Les Paul, Lawrence went on to develop his line of guitars and pickups. He is best known for his "Wild Bill L-500" pickup, which is considered one of the best electric guitar pickups ever made.
Lawrence is also credited with developing the "blade pickup," which is a humbucking pickup that is mounted directly to the body of the guitar. This design produces a unique sound that is different from traditional humbucking pickups.
Lawrence's guitars and pickups have been used by some of the most famous musicians in the world, including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. He is considered one of the most influential guitar designers and engineers of all time.