Charles Henry Christian was a hugely influential jazz and swing guitarist who set the standard during the early days of the form. One of the pioneers of electric guitar, during his short life Christian became one of the key figures in the development of cool jazz and bebop.

Christian's time in the spotlight was tragically brief. He was playing piano in Oklahoma when he became a student of Eddie Durham, the jazz guitarist who invented the amplified guitar. Christian took up the instrument himself and by 1937 had become a regional attraction, touring the Midwest and travelling as far as North Dakota and Minnesota. Talent scout and producer John Hammond heard about Christian, allegedly from Mary Lou Williams, and brought the guitarist to Los Angeles to play for Benny Goodman in 1939. Goodman was originally turned off by Christian's parochial appearance but it only took a jamming session in the Rose Room to win him over. For two years Christian was a mainstay of Benny Goodman's Sextet, surviving a reorganisation to play with the all-star line-up that also included Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Cootie Williams, Dave Tough and Georgie Auld. During that period Christian topped the swing and jazz polls and made it into the Metronome All Stars twice.

At the height of his powers in 1941, however, Christian contracted tuberculosis and died at the age of 25 in March 1942. 24 years after his death he was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame and in 1989 he was among the first seven inductions to the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.

Charlie Christian

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