Benny Goodman Remembers Charlie Christian and Sings One of His Solos

Welcome to my Talking Guitar podcast featuring Benny Goodman talking about Charlie Christian. When he joined the Benny Goodman Sextet in 1939, Charlie Christian was virtually unknown outside of Oklahoma. Thanks to his groundbreaking records with Goodman, by the time of his death in March 1942, Christian was the foremost electric guitarist in jazz. His influence still reverberates in modern music. To this day, one of the best compliments a jazz guitarist can hear is, “Hey, you sound like Charlie Christian!” While I was an editor for Guitar Player magazine in the early 1980s, I proposed that we do a cover story celebrating Charlie Christian on the 40th anniversary of his passing. In addition to writing a biographical article, I reached out to three men who knew him: Barney Kessel, who idolized Charlie and had the opportunity to jam with him; bandleader Benny Goodman, who at the time of Charlie’s ascendency led one of the era's top swing bands; and Benny’s brother-in-law, legendary Columbia Records producer John Hammond. My interview with Benny took place on November 24, 1981. For more insights into Charlie Christian, check out my podcasts with John Hammond (   • Columbia Records' John Hammond Remembers C...  ) and Barney Kessel (   • Barney Kessel: The Complete 1981 "Charlie ...  . Transcriptions of all three of these interviews were published in the March 1982 issue of Guitar Player magazine. I hope you enjoy these unique, never-before-released recordings. To help us continue producing podcasts, please hit this donate button and send some much-appreciated support our way: https://paypal.me/TalkingGuitar. Thanks to engineer/producer Nik Hunt for enhancing the sound of the 42-year-old master tape. Be sure to check out the other historic interviews on the Talking Guitar YouTube channel. For dozens more guitar-intensive podcasts, interview transcripts, and articles, visit Talking Guitar magazine at https://jasobrecht.substack.com/. #charliechristian #bennygoodman #jazzguitar #electricguitar This podcast is copyright 2023 by Jas Obrecht. All rights reserved.