Charlie Christian In Arizona
I've reviewed the evidence and have come to the conclusion that Charlie Christian, the first true star of the electric guitar, did in fact perform in Arizona. He did so on a string of dates in 1940 as a member of Benny Goodman's band. On Thursday, May 2nd they appeared at the Hotel Adams in Phoenix. The next night they played at the Santa Rita Hotel in Tucson, followed by a matinee that next afternoon at the University Of Arizona Auditorium. Just six months prior, 23 year old Charlie began recording with Benny Goodman, one of the country's top acts at the time, creating some remarkable sides where listeners for the first time heard an electric guitar producing tones and passages that equaled the very best horn players.
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This run of Arizona shows featured the full Benny Goodman Orchestra, his Trio, and his Sextet of which Charlie was a notable member. Although the publicity for these concerts doesn't mention Charlie specifically, he was undoubtedly a full-time member of Benny's band at the time. The prior month found Charlie in the studio with the Benny Goodman Sextet recording the Columbia single "The Sheik (Of Araby)" b/w "Poor Butterfly" along with Lionel Hampton on vibes. Hampton WAS mentioned in the publicity for these Arizona shows so we know that being African American didn't keep Charlie from playing these dates. The Sextet can also be heard less than a week prior to the Arizona shows on an NBC Radio broadcast, from the Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, found on the CD-set Charlie Christian, First Master Of The Electric Guitar - Selected Broadcasts & Jam Sessions, with Lionel on vibes along with Johnny Guarnieri on piano, Artie Bernstein on bass, and Nick Fatool on drums. The group can be heard as well on the same CD-set on a date just a few weeks after these Arizona shows from a broadcast at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco, CA.
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The Benny Goodman Sextet, featuring Charlie Christian, is one of my favorite bands ever! And Charlie Christian’s influence on popular music is extraordinary. Sadly he died from tuberculosis less than two years after these dates.
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