Charlie Christian

Charles Henry "Charlie" Christian (July 29, 1916 – March 2, 1942) was an American jazz guitarist. Christian is best known as one of the first famous guitarists to play the electric guitar. He is also remembered as one of the first musicians to help create the styles of jazz music known as "bebop" and "cool jazz."

Charlie Christian
Background information
Birth name	Charles Henry Christian
Born	(1916-07-29)July 29, 1916 Bonham, Texas, U.S.
Died	March 2, 1942(1942-03-02) (aged 25) Staten Island, New York
Genres	Jazz, swing
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Guitar
Associated acts	Benny Goodman

Career

Christian first gained fame as a member of the Benny Goodman Orchestra. He played with Goodman from August 1939 to June 1941. He was very good at playing many notes up and down on a sinle guitar string. By playing his guitar through an amplifier his guitar solos made the guitar very loud in the band.

Death

Christian died in March 1942 when he was only 26 years old. He had been sick with tuberculosis for several years before he died.

Even though he was jazz guitarist who died before the music style rock and roll was started, he was still a large influence on rock and roll musicians. It was because of this that in 1990 Charlie Christian was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame even though he had never played rock and roll music.

Legacy

Charles Henry Christian was raised in Oklahoma City in the American state of Oklahoma. In 2006 Oklahoma City renamed a street to "Charlie Christian Avenue." There is also a yearly jazz music festival in Oklahoma City which is named after Charlie Christian.

Charlie Christian Media

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  Benny Goodman and Christian in a recording studio, April 1941

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  Photo portrait of American jazz guitarist Charlie Christian playing guitar at Columbia Studios with drummer Gene Krupa on February 7, 1940, at the recording session of the second Metronome All-Stars. (Source of information:

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  Probable grave site for Christian at Gates Hill Cemetery, Bonham, Texas

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  The Gibson ES-150, the guitar model most associated with Christian