Charlie Christian

Charlie Christian (1916-1942) was the first major electric guitar soloist and one of the most important musicians of the 20th century. In his brief career — he died of tuberculosis at 25 — he single-handedly transformed the guitar from a rhythm instrument to a lead voice. Joining Benny Goodman's band in 1939, he played an amplified Gibson ES-150, producing long, horn-like single-note lines that stunned audiences accustomed to acoustic rhythm guitar. His recordings with Goodman and his after-hours jam sessions at Minton's Playhouse in Harlem helped birth bebop. Every jazz and rock guitar player who has ever played a solo owes a debt to Christian. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 as an Early Influence.