Collection: Charlie Christian

Charlie Christian was an American swing and jazz guitarist who revolutionised the role of guitar in jazz. Born July 29, 1916 in Bonham, Texas, he moved to Oklahoma City as a small child where he grew up in a musical family. Among the first electric guitarists, his single-string technique combined with amplification helped bring the guitar out of the rhythm section and into the forefront as a solo instrument, paving the way for the lead guitar role in modern music.

Christian gained national exposure as a member of the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra from August 1939 to June 1941. Discovered by producer John Hammond in Oklahoma City, Christian initially underwhelmed Goodman, but during a performance at the Victor Hugo restaurant in Los Angeles, Christian unleashed an electrifying 40-minute solo on 'Rose Room' that earned him the job on the spot. He was also a key figure in the development of bebop, jamming at Minton's Playhouse with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and Kenny Clarke. Tragically, his brilliant career was cut short when he died of tuberculosis on March 2, 1942 at just 25 years old.