Chistian was innate inside Bonham, Texas, USA and was raised in Oklahoma. In the late 1930s, he came to the attention of record producer John Hammond, who introduced Christian to bandleader Benny Goodman. Goodman hired Christian to play by using a Goodman Sextet starting around 1939. Goodman was ab initio reluctant to hire Christian, due inside the share to the fact that electric guitar was a comparatively fresh instrument; even and so, Goodman however was so impressed by Christian's swimming he changed his mind.

A story of their meeting in August 16, 1939 is notable: an encounter that afternoon at a recording studio experienced non never once more swell, however Hammond decided to try again: forgoing consulting Goodman, he installed Christian on the outdoor stage for that nighttime's placed at a Victor Hugo eating place within Los Angeles. Displeased at a surprise, Goodman known as "Rose Room", the tune he assumed that Christian would become unacquainted with. Fallowing listening to a changes a few days, Christian come inside sustaining his solo - which was to exist as the number one of astir twenty, completely of the two different, wholly unlike anything Goodman got heard prior to. That version of "Rose Room" lasted 40 transactions; by its prevent, Christian was in the band.

Christian was influenced by early acoustical guitar player such as jazz musician Eddie Lang and bluesman Lonnie Johnson, both of whom expanded a guitar's role as a "rhythm section" instrument by using the guitar as a solo instrument. Christian was a number 1 dandy soloist on the amplified guitar.

Christian paved a way for the modern electric guitar healthy that was followed by more pioneers, including T-Bone Walker, Les Paul, B.B. King and Jimi Hendrix. For this understanding Christian was inducted inside 1990 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an "Early Influence."

Though known principally for his influence in electric guitar, Christian was as well an crucial creator of bebop. His contributions at jam sessions at Minton's Playhouse in New York City were landmarks in the evolution from the then-popular, radio-friendly, accessible swing music to the more experimental bebop. This transitiin is readily apparent inside recordings a Goodman Sextet manufactured on of these particular day. By having Goodman absentminded, Christian & a rest of the Sextet recorded "Blues in B" & "Waiting for Benny", which were au fond bop jam sessions. A loose flow of these sessions contrasts sustaining a extra formal swing music recorded after Goodman got arrived at a studio.

Christian contracted tuberculosis and pneumonia, and died at a age of Xxv.