July 13, 1937: Guy Hart, general manager of the Gibson guitar company, is awarded the first patent for an electric guitar pickup. The instrument that defines popular music in the second half of the 20th century is born.Here's a 1941 recording "Swing To Bop" played by Charlie Christian on a Gibson electric:
The most influential of the early jazz guitarists, [Charlie] Christian made the electric guitar famous, and, as a result, Gibson became the brand of choice among serious players. Hart’s pickup design even took the jazz guitarist’s name and is now widely known as the “Charlie Christian pickup.”
Monday, July 13, 2009
Gibson Awarded Electric Guitar Patent - 72 Years Ago Today
From Wired's This Day in Tech:
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