Chester Burton Atkins was a record producer and an influential guitarist born on June 20, 1924 in Luttrell, Tennessee.
Chet Atkins was the youngest in the family and grew up in Luttrell, Tennessee, near the Clinch Mountains with his mother and two brothers and a sister. Chet Atkins began his musical career by playing the fiddle at a child on the recommendation of his older brother Lowell. At the age of nine he was still attracted to the guitar and traded a pistol for a guitar and became proficient guitarist by the time he left high school.
Chet’s half-brother James was his main musical inspiration. Jim was a successful guitarist who worked with a famous jazz guitarist ‘Les Paul Trio’ in New York. Chet heard Merle Travis’s fingerpicking over WLW radio. Merle Travis used his right hand finger for the melody and thumb for bass notes which influenced Chet to shape his unique style by using three fingers of his right hand for picking and thumb for bass notes.
Chet Atkins at the age of eighteen got a job in a radio station called ‘WNOX’ in Knoxville where he played fiddle and guitar with the musician ‘Archie Campbell’ and singer ‘Bill Carlisle’ as well as became the member of ‘Dixieland Swingsters’station. By 1942, Chet performed his own solo instrumental spot on WNOX’s Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round show. After three years, he moved to Cincinnati in Ohio and joined ‘WLW’ radio station. Chet moved to Raleigh after six months and worked with Jack and Johnnie.
Chet Atkins later moved to Richmond, Virginia and performed with Sunshine Sue Workman. He was auditioned to replace a country music singer Red Foley, who was leaving WLS National Barn Dance to join Grand Ole Opry. Chet Atkins as a member of Foley’s band made his first appearance at the ‘Grand Ole Opry’ in 1946. On the same year he also recorded a single ‘Guitar Blues’ for a record label ‘Bullet Records’ based in Nashville. Chet performed solo for a while on ‘Grand Ole Opry’ and then moved to ‘KWTO’ radio station in Springfield, Missouri. He was repeatedly fired because of his sophisticated style which differed from the expectations of the station’s executives.
Chet Atkins caught RCA Records attention when he was working with the Western Band in Denver, Colorado. Si Siman, executive of ‘KWTO’ encouraged the recording executive of RCA Records ‘Steve Sholes’ to sign Atkins as his style was suddenly in trend. Atkins received the call from RCA and moved to Nashville to record.
Chet Atkins recorded eight tracks for the RCA Labels in Nashville. In 1949, Steve Sholes was impressed by his playing and made him the studio guitarist for all of RCA studio’s Nashville sessions. Atkins was hired as a regular on ‘Grand Ole Opry’ by Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters.
Chet Atkins still worked for RCA and played on many hit records. His first hit single was “Mr. Sandman” which followed by “Silver Bell”. Apart from his recordings, Atkins became a design consultant for a U.S musical instrument manufacturer ‘Gretsch’ which manufactured Chet Atkins line of guitars from 1955 to 1980.
Chet Atkins became the manager for the Nashville division of RCA as Steve Sholes left for New York to act as head of pop A&R in 1957. His music journey continued throughout the early 1960s. In 1960, he played in the Newport Jazz Festival; he performed at the White House in 1961. In 1965, Atkins biggest hit single came with ‘Yakety Sax’. Steve Sholes died in 1968 and Atkins was promoted to vice-president of RCA.
Atkins wanted to record jazz album which was not possible in RCA, he quit RCA in 1982 and signed with Columbia Records. In 1983, he produced a debut album for Columbia Records.
Chet Atkins awards include: Grammy Awards, ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ in 1993, nine ‘Country Music Association Instrumentalist of the Year’ Awards, ‘Century Award’ from ‘Billboard’ magazine in 1997.
Chet Atkins was suffering from cancer and died at his home in Nashville on June 30, 2001.
Some of his albums include:
- (1952) Chet Atkins' Gallopin' Guitar (10")
- (1953) Stringin Along (10")
- (1953) String Dustin'
- (1954) A Session with Chet Atkins
- (1955) Stringin' Along with Chet Atkins
- (1955) Chet Atkins in Three Dimensions
- (1955) The Amazing Chet Atkins
- (1956) Finger Style Guitar
- (1957) Hi Fi in Focus
- (1958) Chet Atkins at Home
- (1959) Mister Guitar
- (1959) Hum & Strum Along with Chet Atkins
- (1959) Chet Atkins in Hollywood
- (1960) The Other Chet Atkins
- (1961) Teensville
- (1960) After the Riot at Newport
- (1961) Chet Atkins' Workshop
- (1961) The Most Popular Guitar
- (1961) Chet Atkins Plays Great Movie Themes
- (1961) Christmas with Chet Atkins
- (1962) Down Home
- (1962) Plays Back Home Hymns
- (1962) Caribbean Guitar
- (1963) Our Man in Nashville
- (1963) Teen Scene
- (1963) Travelin'
- (1963) The Guitar Genius
- (1964) Guitar Country
- (1964) Progressive Pickin'
- (1964) Reminiscing
- (1964) The Best of Chet Atkins
- (1964) The Early Years of Chet Atkins & His Guitar
- (1965) My Favorite Guitars
- (1965) More of That Guitar Country
- (1966) Chet Atkins Picks on the Beatles
- (1966) From Nashville with Love
- (1966) The Pops Goes Country
- (1966) The Best of Chet Atkins Vol. 2
- (1966) Music from Nashville, My Hometown
- (1967) It's A Guitar World
- (1967) Chet Atkins Picks the Best
- (1967) Class Guitar
- (1967) Chet
- (1968) Solo Flights
- (1968) Solid Gold 68
- (1968) Play Guitar with Chet Atkins
- (1968) Chet All The Way
- (1968) Hometown Guitar
- (1969) Relaxin' with Chet
- (1969) Lovers Guitar
- (1969) Solid Gold 69
- (1969) The Nashville String Band
- (1970) C.B. Atkins & C.E. Snow by Special Request
- (1969) Chet Atkins Picks on the Pops
- (1970) Yestergroovin'
- (1970) Solid Gold 70
- (1970) Me & Jerry
- (1970) Down Home
- (1970) Pickin' My Way
- (1970) This Is Chet Atkins
- (1971) Mr. Atkins, Guitar Picker
- (1971) Chet Atkins Guitar Method Volume 1 & 2 (F.A.M.E.)
- (1971) For the Good Times
- (1971) Strung Up
- (1971) Country Pickin'
- (1971) Identified!
- (1971) Chet Floyd & Boots
- (1972) Me & Chet
- (1972) World's Greatest Melodies
- (1972) Now & Then
- (1972) American Salute
- (1972) The Bandit
- (1972) Nashville Gold
- (1972) Picks on the Hits
- (1973) Greatest Hits of the 50's w/Arthur Fiedler
- (1972) Finger Pickin' Good
- (1973) Discover Japan
- (1974) Chet Atkins Picks on Jerry Reed
- (1973) Superpickers
- (1974) The Atkins Travis Traveling Show
- (1975) The Night Atlanta Burned
- (1975) Famous Country Music Makers
- (1975) In Concert
- (1975) The Golden Guitar of Chet Atkins
- (1973) Alone
- (1976) Chester & Lester
- (1975) Chet Atkins Goes to the Movies
- (1975) Teen Scene
- (1977) Love Letters
- (1976) The Best of Chet Atkins and Friends
- (1977) Me and My Guitar
- (1977) Chet Floyd & Danny
- (1977) A Legendary Performer
- (1978) Guitar Monsters
- (1979) And Then Came Chet
- (1979) First Nashville Guitar Quartet
- (1980) The Best of Chet on the Road Live
- (1980) Reflections
- (1981) Country After All These Years
- (1981) Standard Brands
- (1981) Country Music
- (1982) Solid Gold Guitar
- (1983) Guitar Pickin' Man
- (1983) Great Hits of the Past
- (1983) Work It out with Chet Atkins C.G.P.
- (1983) East Tennessee Christmas
- (1984) Tennessee Guitar Man
- (1984) A Man & His Guitar
- (1985) Collectors Series
- (1985) Guitar for all Seasons
- (1985) Stay Tuned
- (1986) 20 of the Best
- (1986) Street Dreams
- (1987) Sails
- (1988) Chet Atkins, C.G.P.
- (1988) Pickin' on Country
- (1989) Masters of the Guitar: Together
- (1989) Pickin' the Hits
- (1990) Neck & Neck
- (1990) The Magic of Chet Atkins