Charlie Christian
When Charlie Christian took to the bandstand with Benny Goodman in 1939, he single-handedly propelled the electric guitar into the mainstream. While he wasn’t the first guitarist to step in and play electrified, Christian’s appearances as a soloist on Goodman tracks like “Flying Home” and “Honeysuckle Rose” document the first instances of the electric guitar effectively being used as the lead instrument in a big band setting was used. Unfortunately, Christian died of tuberculosis at the age of 26. His work inspired a generation of jazz guitar giants including Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis, Wes Montgomery, Tal Farlow and Jim Hall.
Charlie Christian
Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins made countless recordings as a studio musician and solo artist beginning in the 1940’s. In fact, much of the session work he recorded and/or produced in Nashville with artists like Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and the Everly Brothers laid the foundation for early rock ‘n’ roll. Although Atkins found it comfortable playing many styles, he was most associated with country music and the acoustic guitar. Atkins even recorded a duo album with Travis, as well as other notable guitarists such as Doc Watson, Les Paul, Jerry Reed and Mark Knopfler.
Chet Atkins
