Charles first played with Benny Goodman in Beverly Hills, California at the Victor Hugo restaurant. It was not Benny's intentions to have Charlie as part of his small group, but it must have proved to Goodman that he needed Christian. At least Christian proved he was too skilled to be left in the background.
On August 16, 1939 Charles met Benny for the first time. On that date, two days after he had left Oklahoma by train, Charles walked into the studio where the band was recording. John Hammond noted that Benny was anxious about his opening night, and not very interested when he first met Christian.66
At this point Charles left with the black members of the band to go to Watts. Hammond told Christian before they left to meet back at the kitchen of the Victor Hugo later that evening. This first audition was followed up by a second and more public one that evening. A plan was hatched to give Charles another chance. Hammond called musician friends of his in the area, and told them not to miss the show that evening. Hammond and Benny Goodman's bass player, Artie Bernstein, secretly set up Charlie's amplifier on stage, and the scene was set. Unknown to the "King of Swing," Charles would be part of the Benny Goodman Sextet that evening, and subsequently important to Benny Goodman's organization for the next two years.67
It was opening night that evening. Benny Goodman and his Quintet took to the stage. Los Angeles was segregated, as was much of the United States, and through the kitchen door appeared Charles Christian. Charles walked up to the stage. Benny was not too pleased with this last minute surprise. He chose to play "Rose room" which seemed to Hammond to be Benny's revenge. "I am reasonably certain Christian had never heard `Rose Room' before, because it was a West Coast song not in the repertoire of most black bands."68 Actually, this is one of the only three songs that Charles wanted to put before the public back in the original jam session with Don Redman's Orchestra years before.69 The number began. Between Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton riffs began to pass; then Charles would come in with his parts, improvising in a way that was part of his trademark. He played at least twenty solos, all of them different.70
Before long the crowd was screaming with amazement. "Rose room" continued for more than three quarters of an hour and Goodman received an ovation unlike any even he had before. No one present will ever forget it, least of all Benny.71
So Charles was now standing on the inside with Benny Goodman. He was accepted by Goodman, and was instructed to get acquainted with each of the other bandmembers and their styles over the next week. Charles was even surprised to receive a check at the end of this first week.72 He was reportedly paid $150 a week.73 But Charles quickly made friends with the group, and pleased Benny Goodman also.74
It has been said that Charles and Benny didn't interest each other much personally, but apparently both were very interested in what the other was doing. Part of the beginnings of a stronger bond between the two came when Charles in these early days of the new Sextet was calling the other band members "Mister" as a sign of respect. Clarence Christian remembered what Charles told him about the occasion. It bugged Benny that he was calling his fellow musicians by this title. Swiftly, Benny corrected Charlie. He explained to Charles that in his band there were no whites or blacks, Misters or Mrs. The band was to be one unit, and Charles could just call him Benny. Charles was impressed. Benny did suggest at this time that "Charles" was too formal for the public. From then on he was known not as Charles, but as "Charlie Christian."75
D. Russell Connor, author of two bio-discographies entitled B.G. off the record and BG on the Record, also agrees that Charles did interest Benny very much, especially as a musician. He wrote in 1978:
I think it quite likely it is true...that Charlie was someone special to Benny. Benny realized that Charlie was young and unsophisticated when he first joined the band. In addition to that, Benny recognized (and said at the time) that Charlie's was a great and unique talent; and no one respects talent more than Benny Goodman.76
In fact, Benny apparently liked Charles, and Charles liked Benny. He told his family he had "never met a more down to earth person." Benny always had a good word for Charlie, while at the same time he watched out for Charlie. Because of Charles' inexperience Benny kept an eye on him and when they played engagements on the road Goodman would ask Charles to stay with him in his room. Within weeks of their initial meeting Charlie Christian was incorporated into the Goodman program. His duties were to be vital to the new Benny Goodman Sextet, Goodman's feature group.77 In contrast to this, Charles was not obscured in his orchestra. Charles' position was right at the front, just as John Hammond had hoped.
The rest of Goodman's performances and records featured the orchestra. But Charles played here only occasionally since Goodman had two other guitarists. The guitar chair here was held by either Arnold Covarrubias or Mike Bryan. The Sextet was to perform before the full orchestra's appearance, and between intermission and the second half of the program.78 Charles was definitely new and unique. The electric guitar itself would be presented for the first time to mass audiences across the nation by live radio broadcasts, performances and by record. By being featured with Benny Goodman,79 Charlie was no longer the unknown musician, the legend of the Great Plains. There was probably no quicker road to national exposure than to play with Goodman.
Charles was now making more money than ever before. When he first received his instructions he was amazed by the amount of his paycheck and the short duration of his appearance. His salary was reportedly $150 a week. "Now Charles looked at that and at his salary and said, `Well good! But this can't last.'"80
Every check that Charles received, his family received part of it. Times were still not easy for the black community in Oklahoma City. Charles wanted badly to help his family. What he wanted most to be done with his new-found wealth was to buy a house for his grandmother. But the area of town Charles decided on was too far from downtown. His grandmother wanted to be closer to the city. This problem plus Charles' unexpected illness laid these plans to rest. "But Charlie, he went from one good thing to another."81
The band left California not long after Charles joined the organization. They were playing engagements while also doing a weekly performance for the "Camel Caravan" show. Charles flew to Atlantic City, Detroit, and then on to the New York World's Fair on September 6. Charles gradually became acquainted with others in the Goodman band. During a Camel Caravan broadcast from Detroit on September 2, Benny told the crowd that one of the first numbers he heard performed by Charles was "Stardust" and that he was very impressed. The crowd was then given a glimpse of Charles; and "Stardust" was the only song performed by the Sextet that evening. Recordings of this are available.82
Early in his career with Goodman Charles had a request by mail from his mother. She wanted him to play a song for her. But Charles had to explain to her that he just could not do that, even though they did take some requests from the public.
And he finally answered and told her that the audience was so vast and demanding, he couldn't just single her out because she was his mother. He said, `But I have a piece, regardless of where I am or who I'm playing for, this one particular piece is always dedicated to you from..."Stardust" And he turns loose something in "Stardust" that he don't seem to turn loose in no other record.83
66 Hammond, John Hammond on Record, p. 225.
67 Hammond, John Hammond on Record, p. 226.
68 Ibid.
69 Christian, op. cit., 7 January, 1978.
70 Hammond, John Hammond on Record, p. 226.
71 Hammond, John Hammond on Record, p. 226.
72 Christian, op. cit., 7 January, 1978.
73 Bill Simon, "Charlie Christian," in The Jazz Makers, eds. Nat Shapiro and Nat Hentoff (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press Publishers, 1957), p. 323.
74 Christian, op. cit., 7 January, 1978.
75 Ibid.
76 D. Russell Connor, Philadelphia, PA., letter to the author in return for letter mailed to Benny Goodman, 27 March, 1978.
77 Christian, op. cit., 7 January, 1978.
78 Ibid.
79 Tom and Mary Evans, Guitars: Music, History, Construction and Players (New York: Paddington Press Ltd., 1977) p. 389.
80 Christian, op. cit., 7 January, 1978.
81 Ibid.
82 D. Russell Connor and Warren W. Hicks, BG On the Record (New York: Arlington House, 1969) pp. 259-260.
83 Christian, op. cit., 7 January, 1978.
