Chet Atkins – The Most Amazing Country Music Guitarist Ever – Part 2
Steve Sholes, RCA Victor’s head of country music, was tremendously impressed by Chet’s guitar playing and put him to work quickly. Chet was showcased on almost every recording session from 1949! Mother Maybelle and the Carter Family Sisters hired him a year later as a regular on the Grand Ole Opry signaling that Chet Atkins had officially arrived in Nashville. In the course of this time, Chet’s guitar playing wound up on records by Hank Williams, The Louvin Brothers, The Carlisles, Kitty Wells and a lot of others. When Sholes could not attend the sessions due to various business obligations, Chet was allowed to oversee the production of the recordings himself.
By the mid-50s, Chet was producing 30 performers a year and producing his own guitar albums for RCA. He also started compilling his first collection of country guitar tabs. His 1954 debut album, “Chet Atkins and His Galloping Guitar” produced his hit instrumental version of “Mister Sandman” and included his now traditional “Country Gentleman” guitar. A signature model Gretsch guitar was created bearing Chet’s title and it eventually grew to become a huge seller in the early 60’s when George Harrison made it his guitar of choice with The Beatles. Chet played on Elvis Presley’s historic RCA debut “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956 and supplied the well-known tremoloed electric guitar part on The Everly Brothers “All I Have to Do Is Dream”. If a country tune had been produced in Nashville throughout the mid 50s to mid 60s, there’s a great possibility Chet Atkins performed on it or recorded it. It was during this time that Chet began to be known as “Mister Guitar”.
Chet was promoted to Supervisor of Operations at RCA Victor in 1957 and immediately convinced the company to build it’s own office and studio. The result, Studio B, grew to become the first long standing record company office on the now famous “Music Row” in Nashville. It was there that Chet started to craft “The Nashville Sound”. With his savvy approach to production making use of strings, layered backdrop vocals, and pop style arrangements, Chet is often credited with saving popular country music which was in a decline at the time owing to the acceptance of rock and roll. An endless string of hits poured out of Recording Studio B by such artists as Jim Reeves, Hank Locklin, Roger Miller, Hank Snow, and George Hamilton.
During the 70s Chet started to focus a lot more on performing and embarked on several collaborative albums with Lenny Breau, Jerry Reed, Hank Snow, Les Paul, Doc Watson, and Merle Travis – resulting in critical acclaim and many awards. Chet launched his first instructional video for guitar in 1987 “Get Started On Guitar” and followed in 1996 with an advanced guitar instructional video “The Guitar of Chet Atkins” that showcases an in-depth glimpse into Chet’s guitar approaches and a well-rounded step-by-step clarification of nine of his solos. Chet Atkins died of cancer at the age of 77 on June 30th 2001 at his house in Nashville. The musical legacy he left behind is huge. His friends and fans constantly referred to Chet as kind, humble, and real – a true “Country Gentleman”. Guitarists the world over can be greatful for the exquisite body of work he left behind for them to study. If any individual is worthy of the title “Mister Guitar” it is absolutely Chet Atkins.
Peabody Conservatory trained guitarist Steven Herron helps guitar players become better guitarists. His company ChordMelody.com features an enormous selection of country guitar tabs as well as instructional DVDs by Chet Atkins himself. Find out more and claim Steven’s popular free monthly guitar lesson e-course available at: =>
http://www.chordmelody.com/Chet-Atkins.htm
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