Charlie Christian (1916-1942) was an American swing and jazz guitarist who revolutionised the role of guitar in jazz. Among the first electric guitarists, he gained national exposure with the Benny Goodman Sextet from 1939 to 1941. A key figure in the development of bebop, he jammed at Minton's Playhouse with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk. He died of tuberculosis at age 25, but his influence shaped generations of guitarists.