Editing Charlie Christian

{{Short description|American swing and jazz guitarist (1916–1942)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{use American English|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Charlie Christian
| image             = Charlie Christian (1939-10 Waldorf-Astoria portrait).jpg
| alt               = 
| caption           = Christian performing at the [[Waldorf Astoria New York]], October 1939
| birth_name        = Charles Henry Christian
| birth_date        = {{Birth date|1916|7|29}}
| birth_place       = [[Bonham, Texas]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{death date and age|1942|3|2|1916|7|29}}
| death_place       = [[New York City]], U.S.
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Jazz]]|[[swing music|swing]]|[[bebop]]}}
| occupation        = Musician
| instrument        = Guitar
| years_active      = 1930s–1941
| label             = 
}}

'''Charles Henry Christian''' (July 29, 1916 &ndash; March 2, 1942) was an American [[swing music|swing]] and [[jazz guitarist]]. He was among the first electric guitarists and was a key figure in the development of [[bebop]] and [[cool jazz]]. He gained national exposure as a member of the [[Benny Goodman]] Sextet and Orchestra from August 1939 to June 1941. His single-string technique, combined with amplification, helped bring the guitar out of the rhythm section and into the forefront as a solo instrument. For this, he is often credited with leading to the development of the [[lead guitar]] role in musical ensembles and bands.

==Early life==
Christian was born in [[Bonham, Texas]]. His family moved to [[Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]], when he was a small child. His parents were musicians. He had two brothers: Edward, born in 1906, and Clarence, born in 1911. Edward, Clarence, and Charlie were all taught music by their father, Clarence Henry Christian. Clarence Henry was struck blind by fever, and in order to support the family he and the boys worked as [[buskers]], on what the Christians called "busts." He would have them lead him into the better neighborhoods, where they would perform for cash or goods. When Charles was old enough to go along, he first entertained by dancing.<ref>Goins, Wayne; McKinney, Craig (2005). ''A Biography of Charlie Christian, Jazz Guitar's King of Swing'', p. 7.</ref>  Later he learned to play the guitar, inheriting his father's instruments upon his death when Charles was 12.<ref name="ReferenceA">Lee, Amy (1940). "Charlie Christian Tried to Play Hot Tenor!" ''Metronome''.</ref>

He attended [[Douglass High School (Oklahoma City)|Douglass High School]] in Oklahoma City, where he was further encouraged in music by an instructor, [[Zelia N. Breaux]]. Charles wanted to play [[tenor saxophone]] in the school band, but Breaux insisted he play [[trumpet]] instead.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> As he believed playing the trumpet would disfigure his lip, he quit to pursue his interest in baseball, at which he excelled.<ref>Goins; McKinney (2005). ''A Biography of Charlie Christian, Jazz Guitar's King of Swing'', pp. 12–15.</ref>

In a 1978 interview with biographer Craig McKinney, Clarence Christian said that in the 1920s and 1930s, Edward Christian led a band in Oklahoma City as a pianist and had a shaky relationship with the trumpeter James Simpson. Around 1931, Simpson instructed guitarist "Bigfoot" Ralph Hamilton to secretly school the younger Charles in jazz. Hamilton taught him to solo on three songs, "[[Rose Room]]", "[[Tea for Two (song)|Tea for Two]]", and "[[Sweet Georgia Brown]]". When the time was right, he took Charles to one of the many after-hours jam sessions along "[[Deep Deuce]]" in Oklahoma City, where Edward's band was performing, and after some encouragement, Edward allowed Charles to play. Edward was surprised that Charles knew the tunes, which were well received by the club.<ref name="goins">Goins, Wayne; McKinney, Craig (2005). ''A Biography of Charlie Christian, Jazz Guitar's King of Swing'', pp. 18–20, 137, 399.<!--publisher & ISSN/ISBN needed--></ref>

Charles soon was performing locally and on the road throughout the Midwest, including states as far away as [[North Dakota]] and [[Minnesota]]. By 1936 he was playing electric guitar and had become a regional attraction. According to the record producer [[John Hammond (record producer)|John Hammond]], Christian jammed with many of the big-name performers traveling through Oklahoma City, including [[Teddy Wilson]], [[Art Tatum]], and [[Mary Lou Williams]], the pianist for [[Andy Kirk (musician)|Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fch37|author=Jasinski, Laurie E.|title=Charles Henry Christian Profile|publisher=Tshaonline.org|date=1976|access-date=2012-03-02}}</ref>

== Career ==

=== National fame ===
{{more citations needed section|date=September 2016}}
[[File:Benny Goodman and Charlie Christian (1941-04 photo at Carl Fischer studio).jpg|thumb|[[Benny Goodman]] and Christian in a recording studio, April 1941]]
In 1939, Christian auditioned for John Hammond, who recommended him to bandleader [[Benny Goodman]], who was only the fourth white bandleader to feature Black musicians in his live band. Goodman had previously heard electric guitarists [[Leonard Ware]] and [[Floyd Smith (musician)|Floyd Smith]], among others, and he unsuccessfully tried to buy Smith's contract from bandleader [[Andy Kirk (musician)|Andy Kirk]].<ref name="goins" />

There are multiple accounts of Christian and Goodman's first meeting. The former recalled in a 1940 article in [[Metronome magazine|''Metronome'']] magazine, "I guess neither one of us liked what I played." Despite this, Christian claimed that Goodman invited him to a show that evening. According to another account, Hammond decided to install Christian as the band's guitarist without consulting Goodman.<ref>Amy Lee, Amy (1940). "Charlie Christian Tried to Play Hot Tenor!" [[Metronome magazine|''Metronome'']].</ref>

Goodman's band, including Christian on guitar, played that night at Victor Hugo restaurant in [[Los Angeles]]. The bandleader called "Rose Room", a tune he assumed Christian did not know. However, Christian knew the tune and took an unprecedented twenty choruses of improvisation; Goodman hired him as a member of the band as a result. In the course of a few days, Christian went from making $2.50 a night to $150 a week.<ref name="Solo Flight">Liner notes. ''Solo Flight: The Genius of Charlie Christian''. Columbia G 30779.</ref>

Christian joined the newly formed Goodman Sextet in September 1939, which included [[Lionel Hampton]], [[Fletcher Henderson]], [[Artie Bernstein]] and [[Nick Fatool]].<ref name="feather">[[Leonard Feather|Feather, Leonard]]: (1960). ''The Encyclopedia of Jazz''. Horizon Press.</ref>

Amateur recordings made in September 1939 in [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]], by Jerry Newhouse, a Goodman aficionado, capture the newly hired Christian while on the road with Goodman and feature Goodman's tenor sax player [[Jerry Jerome (musician)|Jerry Jerome]] and then-local bassist [[Oscar Pettiford]]. Taking multiple solos, Christian shows much the same improvisational skills later captured on the [[Minton's]] and Monroe's recordings in 1941, suggesting that he had already matured as a musician.<ref name="Solo Flight" /> The Minneapolis recordings include "[[Stardust (1927 song)|Stardust]]", "[[Tea for Two (song)|Tea for Two]]", and "[[I've Got Rhythm]]", the latter a favorite of bop composers and jammers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charlie Christian - Electric Album Reviews, Songs & More {{!}} AllMusic |website=[[AllMusic]] |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/electric-mw0002167624 |access-date=2023-03-17 |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Charlie Christian and Gene Krupa (1940-02-07 Metronome All-Stars session photo).jpg|thumb|Christian with [[Gene Krupa]] at Columbia Studios during an All-Stars session (February 7, 1940)

]]
By February 1940, Christian dominated the jazz and swing guitar polls and was elected to the [[Metronome All Stars]]. In the spring of 1940, Goodman laid off most of his band, but he retained Christian, and in the fall of that year Goodman led a sextet with Christian, [[Count Basie]], longtime [[Duke Ellington]] trumpeter [[Cootie Williams]], former [[Artie Shaw]] tenor saxophonist [[Georgie Auld]] and later drummer [[Dave Tough]]. This all-star band dominated the jazz polls in 1941, including another election to the Metronome All Stars for Christian.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

His work on the Goodman sextet sides "Soft Winds", "Till Tom Special", and "A Smo-o-o-oth One" show his use of few well-placed melodic notes. His work on the Sextet's recordings of the ballads "[[Stardust (1927 song)|Stardust]]", "[[Memories of You]]", "[[Poor Butterfly]]", "[[I Surrender Dear]]" and "On the Alamo" and his work on "Profoundly Blue" with the [[Edmond Hall]] Celeste Quartet (1941) show hints of what was later called [[cool jazz]].<ref name="blogs.myspace.com" /><ref>"Jazz". ''World Book Encyclopedia''.</ref> Although credited for very few, Christian composed many of the original tunes recorded by the Benny Goodman Sextet.<ref>Albertson, Chris. Liner notes. Columbia G 30779.</ref>

=== Bebop and Minton's Playhouse ===
Christian was an important contributor to the music that became known as bop, or [[bebop]]. Some of the participants in early after-hours affairs at [[Minton's Playhouse]], an after-hours club located in the Hotel Cecil at 210 West 118th Street in [[Harlem]] where bebop was born, credit Christian with the name ''bebop'', citing his humming of phrases as the onomatopoetic origin of the term.<ref>Feather, Leonard (1960). ''The New Edition of the Encyclopedia of Jazz''. Horizon Press: New York.<!-- ISSN/ISBN, page(s) needed --></ref>

Examples of Christian's bebop playing can be heard in a series of recordings made at Minton's Playhouse by Jerry Newman, a student at [[Columbia University]], on a portable disk recorder in 1941, in which Christian was accompanied by [[Joe Guy (musician)|Joe Guy]] on trumpet, [[Ken Kersey|Kenny Kersey]] on piano and [[Kenny Clarke]] on drums.<ref name="home.roadrunner.com">{{cite web |title=Leo Valdes |url=http://home.roadrunner.com/~valdes/discgrph.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315054805/http://home.roadrunner.com/~valdes/discgrph.htm |archive-date=2012-03-15 |access-date=2012-03-02 |publisher=Home.roadrunner.com}}</ref> Christian's use of [[tension (music)|tension and release]], a technique employed by [[Lester Young]], [[Count Basie]] and later bop musicians,<ref name="blogs.myspace.com">{{cite web |author=Centlivre, Kevin |date=2009-04-16 |title="Revisiting Charlie Christian" |url=http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=428001184&blogId=483515554 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100808155642/http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=428001184&blogId=483515554 |archive-date=2010-08-08 |access-date=2012-03-02 |publisher=Blogs.myspace.com}}</ref> is also present on Newman's recording of "[[Stompin' at the Savoy]]."<ref name="home.roadrunner.com" /> Further recordings were made in 1941, shortly before Christian's illness and death, at [[Clark Monroe's Uptown House]], another late-night jazz haunt in Harlem, with [[Oran Page|Oran "Hot Lips" Page]]. Other recordings include the tenor sax player [[Don Byas]]. Beboppers [["Dizzy" Gillespie]] and [[Thelonious Monk]] were regulars at the jam sessions, with Monk a regular in the Minton's house band.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charlie Christian - After Hours Album Reviews, Songs & More {{!}} AllMusic |website=[[AllMusic]] |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/after-hours-mw0000609154 |access-date=2023-03-17 |language=en}}</ref>

Kenny Clarke claimed that "[[Epistrophy (composition)|Epistrophy]]" and "[[Rhythm-a-Ning]]" were compositions by Christian, which Christian played with Clarke and Thelonious Monk at Minton's jam sessions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=Colin |title=Coda: Charlie Christian at Minton's |url=https://jazztimes.com/features/columns/coda-charlie-christian-at-mintons/ |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=JazzTimes |language=en-US}}</ref> The "Rhythm-a-Ning" line is heard on "Down on [[Teddy Hill|Teddy's Hill]]" and behind the introduction on "Guy's Got to Go" from the Newman recordings. It is also a line from [[Mary Lou Williams]]'s "Walkin<nowiki>'</nowiki> and Swingin'".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-10 |title=Stories of Standards — Rhythm-a-Ning |url=https://www.kuvo.org/stories-of-standards-rhythm-a-ning/ |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=KUVO |language=en-US}}</ref> Clarke further commented that Christian first showed him the chords to "Epistrophy" on a [[ukulele]].<ref name="ReferenceB">Broadbent, Peter. ''Charlie Christian, Solo Flight: The Story of the Seminal Electric Guitarist''.</ref>

The Minton's and Uptown House recordings have been packaged under a number of different titles, including ''After Hours'' and ''The Immortal Charlie Christian''. On the recordings, Christian can be heard taking multiple choruses on a single tune, playing long stretches of melodic ideas with ease.<ref>Spring, Howard (1980). ''The Improvisational Style of Charlie Christian''.</ref>

==Personal life==
Charles fathered a daughter, Billie Jean Christian (December 23, 1932 – July 19, 2004) by Margretta Lorraine Downey of Oklahoma City.<ref name="goins" />

In the late 1930s Christian contracted [[tuberculosis]],<ref>Goins, Wayne; McKinney, Craig. ''A Biography of Charlie Christian, Jazz Guitar's King of Swing'' (2005), p. 344.</ref> and in early 1940 he was hospitalized for a short period in which the Goodman group was on hiatus because of Goodman's back trouble. Goodman was hospitalized in the summer of 1940 after a brief stay at [[Santa Catalina Island, California]], where the band stayed when they were on the West Coast.<ref name="ReferenceB" />

[[File:--GatesHillChristian--.jpg|thumb|right|175px|Probable grave site for Christian at Gates Hill Cemetery, [[Bonham, Texas]]]]

Christian returned home to [[Oklahoma City]] in late July 1940 and returned to New York City in September 1940. In early 1941, Christian resumed his hectic lifestyle, heading to [[Harlem]] for late-night jam sessions after finishing gigs with the Goodman Sextet and Orchestra in New York City. In June 1941 he was admitted to [[Seaview Hospital]], a tuberculosis [[sanatorium]] on [[Staten Island]] in New York City. He was reported to be making progress, and ''[[DownBeat]]'' magazine reported in February 1942 that he and [[Cootie Williams]] were starting a band.<ref>Goins, Wayne; McKinney, Craig. ''A Biography of Charlie Christian, Jazz Guitar's King of Swing'', p. 327.</ref>

== Death ==
After a visit to the hospital that same month by a "musician friend," Christian declined in health. He died of tuberculosis on March 2, 1942, at the age of 25. He was buried in an unmarked grave in [[Bonham, Texas]]. A Texas State Historical Commission Marker and headstone were placed in Gates Hill Cemetery in 1994. The location of the historical marker and headstone was disputed, and in March 2013, [[Fannin County, Texas]], recognized that the marker was in the wrong spot and that Christian is buried under a concrete slab, as claimed by his brother Clarence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.txfannin.org/obits.php?per_id=24040 |title=Burial Info for Charles Christian |publisher=TXFannin |access-date=2014-03-16}}</ref>

==Style and influences==
{{stack|[[File:Charlie Christian.jpg|thumb|upright=0.58|Christian playing guitar in-studio, summer 1940]]}}
{{stack|[[File:Gibson ES-150.png|thumb|upright=0.68|The [[Gibson ES-150]], the guitar model most associated with Christian]]}}

Christian is widely regarded as one of the most influential pioneers of [[jazz guitar]]. His solos are frequently described as "horn-like", and in that sense, he was more influenced by horn players such as [[Lester Young]] and [[Herschel Evans]]<ref>Goins, Wayne; McKinney, Craig. ''A Biography of Charlie Christian, Jazz Guitar's King of Swing'', pp. 369, 373-374.</ref> than by early arch-top guitarists like [[Eddie Lang]] and the jazz- and bluesman [[Lonnie Johnson (musician)|Lonnie Johnson]], although they both had contributed to the expansion of the guitar's role from the rhythm section to a [[solo (music)|solo]] instrument. Christian stated he wanted his guitar to sound like a [[tenor saxophone]].<ref>Lee, Amy (1940), "Charlie Christian Wanted to Play Hot Tenor!" ''Metronome''.</ref> The French gypsy jazz guitarist [[Django Reinhardt]] had little influence on him, but Christian was obviously familiar with some of his recordings.<ref name="autogenerated1">Feather, Leonard. "Inside Jazz".</ref> The guitarist [[Mary Osborne]] recalled hearing him play Django's solo on "[[St. Louis Blues (song)|St. Louis Blues]]" note for note, but then following it with his own ideas.<ref name="autogenerated1" />

By 1939 there had already been electric guitar soloists—[[Leonard Ware]]; [[George Barnes (musician)|George Barnes]]; [[Eddie Durham]], who had recorded with [[Count Basie]]; [[Floyd Smith (musician)|Floyd Smith]], who recorded "Floyd's Guitar Blues" with [[Andy Kirk (musician)|Andy Kirk]] and his Clouds of Joy in March 1939, using an amplified [[lap steel guitar]]; and the [[Western Swing]] pioneer [[Eldon Shamblin]], who was playing with [[Bob Wills]] and his Texas Playboys.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

Christian paved the way for the modern electric guitar sound that was followed by other pioneers, including [[T-Bone Walker]], [[Eddie Cochran]], [[Cliff Gallup]], [[Scotty Moore]], [[Franny Beecher]], [[B.B. King]], [[Chuck Berry]], [[Carlos Santana]] and [[Jimi Hendrix]]. For this reason Christian was inducted in 1990 into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee |url=http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/charlie-christian |access-date=2012-03-02 |publisher=Rockhall.com}}</ref>

Christian's exposure was so great in the brief period he played with Goodman that he influenced not only guitarists but other musicians as well. The influence he had on [["Dizzy" Gillespie]], [[Charlie Parker]], [[Thelonious Monk]] and [[Don Byas]] can be heard on their early [[Bebop|bop]] recordings "[[Blue 'n' Boogie]]" and "[[Salt Peanuts]]". Other musicians, such as the trumpeter [[Miles Davis]], cited Christian as an early influence. Indeed, Christian's "new" sound influenced jazz as a whole. He reigned supreme in the jazz guitar polls up to two years after his death.<ref>Goins, Wayne; McKinney, Craig. ''A Biography of Charlie Christian, Jazz Guitar's King of Swing'', pp. 327–328.</ref>  [[Black Sabbath]]'s first manager Jim Simpson describes the band's first song, "A Song for Jim" as an “absolute Charlie Christian takeoff.”<ref>Popoff, Martin (2011). ''Black Sabbath FAQ''. Backbeat Books.<!-- ISSN/ISBN, page(s) needed --></ref>

==Instruments==
* [[Epiphone]] Deluxe guitar (an acoustic archtop guitar), 1934–1937<ref>Broadbent,
Peter, Charlie Christian: Solo Flight, {{ISBN|1872639569}}, Ashley Mark, 2003, p.48</ref>
* [[Gibson ES-150]] guitar (sunburst finish, with dot inlays on the fingerboard), and EH-150 amplifier, 1937 or 1939 – April 1940<ref>{{cite web |date=22 January 2015 |title=Charlie's Gear|website=Gypsy Jazz UK |url=https://gypsyjazzuk.wordpress.com/gypsy-jazz-uk-home/djangos-birth-and-early-childhood/django-stimer-pickup/charlie-christian/charlies-gear/}}</ref>
* [[Gibson ES-250]] guitar (custom built by Gibson with a natural finish, a [[Gibson Super 400|Super 400]] tailpiece, and bowtie inlays on the fingerboard), April 1940 – February 1941. This instrument was re-discovered in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |date=2 June 2010 |title=Rare Charlie Christian guitar to be exhibited during Charlie Christian International Music Festival |url=https://eu.oklahoman.com/story/entertainment/music/2010/06/02/rare-charlie-christian-guitar-to-be-exhibited-during-charlie-christian-international-music-festival/61240212007/|website=The Olahoman}}</ref>
* Gibson ES-250 guitar (custom built by Gibson with a natural finish, an [[Gibson L-7C|L-7 style neck]], and custom inlays on the fingerboard), February 1941 – March 1942
* [[Gibson L-5]] guitar (custom built by Gibson with a "[[Charlie Christian pickup]]" instead of a [[P-90]]). This guitar was delivered to Christian just prior to his death in March 1942. It was later owned by [[Tony Mottola]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Finding Charlie Christian's Guitar: Lynn Wheelwright Interview – Jas Obrecht Music Archive |url=http://jasobrecht.com/finding-charlie-christians-guitar-interview-lynn-wheelwright/ |website=jasobrecht.com}}</ref>

The bar-style pickup used on the ES-150 and ES-250 became known as the "Charlie Christian pickup."

== Legacy ==
[[File:CharlieChristianAve.JPG|thumb|175px|right|Charlie Christian Avenue, in [[Oklahoma City]], Oklahoma]]
[[John H. Hammond|John Hammond]] and [[George T. Simon]] called Christian the best improvisational talent of the [[swing era]].<ref>Hammond, John; Townsend, Irving (1977). ''John Hammond on Record: An Autobiography''. New York: Ridge Press. {{ISBN|0-671-40003-7}}.</ref><ref>Simon, George T. (1971). ''The Big Bands''. {{ISBN|0-02-872430-5}}.</ref> In the liner notes to the album ''[[Solo Flight: The Genius of Charlie Christian]]'' (Columbia, 1972), [[Gene Lees]] wrote that "Many critics and musicians consider that Christian was one of the founding fathers of bebop, or if not that, at least a precursor to it."<ref name="Solo Flight" />

In 1966, 24 years after his death, Christian was inducted into the ''[[Down Beat]]'' [[Down Beat|Jazz Hall of Fame]]. In 1989 the [[Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame]] created its first seven inductions, which included Christian.<ref>{{cite web |title=Inductees |url=http://www.okjazz.org/index.cfm?id=5 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200428172737/http://www.okjazz.org/index.cfm?id=5 |archive-date=28 April 2020 |access-date=1 March 2019 |publisher=Oklahoma Jazz Hall Of Fame}}</ref>

In 1990, Christian was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in the "Early Influence" category.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charlie Christian |url=https://rockhall.com/inductees/charlie-christian/ |access-date=2024-10-13 |website=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame |language=en-US}}</ref> 

In a 1985 interview with ''Frets'' magazine, [[Jerry Garcia]] named Christian and [[Django Reinhardt]] as the two guitarists who most inspired his awe and emulation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Obrecht |first=Jas |date=September 1, 2010 |title=Jerry Garcia: The Complete 1985 Frets Interview |url=https://gdsets.com/extras/jerry1985frets.pdf |access-date=October 13, 2024}}</ref>

In 2006, Oklahoma City, where Christian was raised, renamed a street in its [[Bricktown (Oklahoma City)|Bricktown]] entertainment district after the guitarist.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chambers |first=Angela |title=Jazz icon Charlie Christian's legacy extends beyond OKC |url=https://www.okgazette.com/music/jazz-icon-charlie-christians-legacy-extends-beyond-okc-2966120 |date=September 3, 2014|access-date=2023-03-17 |website=Oklahoma Gazette |language=en}}</ref>

==Discography==
Christian never recorded as a leader. Compilations have been released of his sessions as a sideman in which he is a featured soloist, of practice and warm-up recordings for these sessions, and some lower-quality recordings of Christian's own groups performing in nightclubs, by amateur technicians.<ref name="Solo Flight"/>

'''With [[Benny Goodman]]'''
* ''Charlie Christian with the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra'' ([[Columbia Records|Columbia]], 1955)
* ''[[Solo Flight: The Genius of Charlie Christian]]'' (Columbia, 1972) 
* ''The Genius of the Electric Guitar'', 1939–1941 recordings (Columbia, 1987)
* ''The Benny Goodman Sextet Featuring Charlie Christian 1939–41'' (Columbia, 1989)
* ''Solo Flight'', with the Benny Goodman Sextet (Vintage Jazz Classics, 1991)
* ''Guitar Wizard'' (Le Jazz/Charly, 1993)
* ''Complete Studio Recordings'' (Definitive, 2000) 4-CD box set
* ''Complete Live Recordings'' (Definitive, 2001) 4-CD box set
* ''Radioland 1939–1941'' (Fuel 2000/[[Varèse Sarabande]], 2001)
* ''The Genius of the Electric Guitar'' ([[Legacy Recordings|Columbia/Legacy]], 2002) 4-CD box set
* ''First Master of the Electric Guitar: Selected Broadcasts & Jam Sessions, Remastered'' ([[JSP Records|JSP]], 2002) 4-CD box set
* ''Charlie Christian – The Original Guitar Genius'' ([[Proper Records|Proper]], 2005) 4-CD box set
* ''The Genius of the Electric Guitar'' (Definitive, 2005)
* ''Solo Flight: Live! with the Benny Goodman Sextet'' (Definitive, 2008) 
* ''On the Air'' (Fuel 2000/Varèse Sarabande, 2009)
* ''Yale University Archives, Vol. 5: NBC Broadcast Recordings 1936-1943'' ([[Nimbus Records|Nimbus]], 2010)
* ''Electric'', with the Benny Goodman Sextet and the Charlie Christian Quartet ([[Uptown Records|Uptown]], 2011)

'''With [[Lionel Hampton]]'''
* ''The Complete Lionel Hampton 1937–1941'' ([[Bluebird Records|Bluebird]], 1976) 6-LP box set

'''With others'''
* ''[[From_Spirituals_to_Swing#Recordings|From Spirituals to Swing – Carnegie Hall Concerts 1938/39]]'' ([[Vanguard Records|Vanguard]], 1959) 2-LP

==Filmography==
* 2005  ''Solo Flight: The Genius of Charlie Christian''
* 2007  ''Charlie Christian- The Life & Music of the Legendary Jazz Guitarist'' (Grossman Guitar Workshop)

==Notes==

{{Reflist}}

{{Portal|Music}}

==References==
* Broadbent, Peter  (2002). ''Charlie Christian, Solo Flight: The Story of the Seminal Electric Guitarist''. Hal Leonard. {{ISBN|978-1-872639-21-5}}.
* Centlivre, Kevin (1994). [https://archive.today/20121229172505/http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=428001184&blogId=483512461 "Interview with Jerry Jerome"]
* Centlivre, Kevin (1999). [https://web.archive.org/web/20100808155642/http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=428001184&blogId=483515554 "Revisiting Charlie Christian"].
* Feather, Leonard (reprint, 1977). ''Inside Jazz''. Da Capo. {{ISBN|0-306-80076-4}}.
* Goins, Wayne E.; McKinney, Craig (2005). ''A Biography of Charlie Christian, Jazz Guitar's King of Swing''. {{ISBN|0-88946-426-X}}.
* Lee, Amy (1940) [http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/CharlieChristian/files/ "Charlie Christian Tried to Play Hot Tenor!"]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} ''Metronome''.  
* Marshall, Wolf (2002). "The Best of Charlie Christian" signature licks. Hal Leonard. {{ISBN|0-634-02182-6}}.
* McKinney, Craig. ''Charles Christian: Musician''.
* Savage, William W., Jr. (1983). ''Singing Cowboys and All That Jazz: A Short History of Popular Music in Oklahoma''. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, pp.&nbsp;48–51. {{ISBN|0-8061-1648-X}}.
* Spring, Howard (1980). ''The Improvisational Style of Charlie Christian''. York University.
* Valdes, Leo (1997). [https://web.archive.org/web/20090418000333/http://home.roadrunner.com/~valdes/ ''Solo Flight: The Charlie Christian Newsletter''] Leo Valdes.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Rockhall}}
*[https://www.jazzguitar.be/blog/charlie-christian-7th-licks/ Charlie Christian, Style Analysis and Solo Examples]
*[http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2006/12/deep-deuce-history.html Deep Deuce History and photos]
*[http://www.newyorkjazzworkshop.com/charlie-christian/ Charlie Christian, a biography by C.J Shearn]
*[https://txfannin.org/obits.php?per_id=24040/ Gates Hill Cemetery]

{{1990 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian, Charlie}}
[[Category:1916 births]]
[[Category:1942 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century deaths from tuberculosis]]
[[Category:African-American jazz guitarists]]
[[Category:African-American male guitarists]]
[[Category:American jazz guitarists]]
[[Category:American male jazz musicians]]
[[Category:Bebop guitarists]]
[[Category:Blue Note Records artists]]
[[Category:Columbia Records artists]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Musicians from Oklahoma City]]
[[Category:Swing guitarists]]
[[Category:Tuberculosis deaths in New York (state)]]
[[Category:DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame members]]