In the dawn of the jazz age, the guitar was not a player. The generally accepted instrumentation in New Orleans in the earliest 20th century was trumpet or coronet, clarinet, trombone, and a rhythm section of banjo, drums, and either bass or tuba. The banjo was favored over guitar due to its loud "attack" and subsequent blend with the other instruments.

As the 1920's began, band instrumentation became as varied as the players. The King Oliver Band based in Chicago had grown into a rather large ensemble: two clarinets, a saxophone, two trumpets or coronets, a trombone, tuba, banjo, drums, and a piano. This sort of evolution was typical throughout jazz, but as an instrument in an ensemble the guitar had yet to supplant the banjo as the standard stringed rhythm instrument. (Note: This band, by the way, is where Louis Armstrong got his start.)

It was the introduction of the archtop guitar that first allowed guitarists to challenge banjos for their role in jazz ensembles. Still not as loud a banjo, the archtop guitar's smoother tone and wider harmonic potential appealed to many bandleaders of the era. Perhaps more important, it's "punch" on the strum allowed it to compare favorably versus the banjo. The more sophisticated compositions of this era may have played a role in the transition as well due to the aforementioned harmonic potential.

By the late 1930s, guitars were commonly finding more prominent roles in jazz. Leading the way were four distinct innovators:

Freddie Green

Freddie Green: Perhaps the first truly great rhythm guitarist, Freddie Green was Count Basie's guitarist for many years. His impeccable sense of rhythm and steady pulse was the bedrock of many of Basie's compositions and recordings of the era. His prowess all but sounded the death knell for banjos in jazz. Green eschewed soloing. Rather he favored a rhythmic chord accompaniment that still resounds today.