Without Chet Atkins, country music may never
have crossed over into the pop charts in the '50s and '60s. Although
he recorded hundreds of solo records, Atkins' largest influence
came as a session musician and a record producer. During the '50s
and '60s, he helped create the Nashville sound, a style of country
music that owed nearly as much to pop as it did to honky tonks.
And as a guitarist, he was without parallel. Atkins' style
grew out of his admiration for Merle Travis, expanding Travis'
signature syncopated thumb and fingers roll into new territory.
Interestingly, Atkins didn't begin his musical career by playing
guitar. On the recommendation of his older brother, Lowell,
he began playing the fiddle at a child. However, Chet was still
attracted to the guitar, and at the age of nine he traded a
pistol for a guitar. Atkins learned his instrument rapidly,
becoming an accomplished player by the time he left high school
in 1941. Using a variety of contacts, he wound up performing
on the Bill Carlisle Show on WNOX in Knoxville, TN, as well
as becoming part of the Dixie Swingers. Atkins worked with Homer
& Jethro while he was at the radio station. After three
years, he moved to a radio station in Cincinnati.
Supporting Red Foley, Atkins made his first appearance at the
Grand Ole Opry in 1946. That same year, he made his first records,
recording for Bullet. Atkins also began making regular performances
on the WRVA radio station in Richmond, VA, but he was repeatedly
fired because his musical arrangements differed from the expectations
of the station's executives. He eventually moved to Springfield,
MO, working for the KWTO station. A tape of one of Atkins' performances
was sent to RCA Victor's office in Chicago. Eventually, it worked
its way to Steve Sholes, the head of country music at RCA. Sholes
had heard Atkins previously, and had been trying to find him
for several years. By the time Sholes heard the tape, Atkins
had moved to Denver, and was playing with Shorty Thompson &
His Rangers. Upon receiving the call from RCA, he moved to Nashville
to record.
Once he arrived in Nashville, Atkins recorded eight tracks
for the label, five of which featured the guitarist singing.
Impressed by his playing, Sholes made Atkins the studio guitarist
for all of the RCA studio's Nashville sessions in 1949. The
following year, Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters hired
him as a regular on the Grand Ole Opry, making his place in
Nashville's musical community secure. While he worked for RCA,
he played on many hit records and helped fashion the Nashville
sound. RCA appreciated his work and made him a consultant to
the company's Nashville division in 1953. That year, the label
began to issue a number of instrumental albums that showcased
Atkins' considerable talents. Two years later, he scored his
first hit with a version of "Mr. Sandman"; it was
followed by "Silver Bell," a duet with Hank Snow.
By the late '50s, Atkins was known throughout the music industry
as a first-rate player. Not only did his records sell well,
he designed guitars for Gibson and Gretsch; the popularity of
these models continues to the present day.
Sholes left for New York in 1957 to act as head of pop A&R,
leaving Atkins as the manager of RCA's Nashville division. However,
the guitarist didn't abandon performing, and throughout the
early '60s his star continued to rise. He played the Newport
Jazz Festival in 1960; in 1961, he performed at the White House.
Atkins had his first Top Five hit in 1965 with a reworking of
Boots Randolph's "Yakety Sax," retitled "Yakety
Axe"; in addition to being a sizable country hit, the song
crossed over to the pop charts. Atkins' role behind the scenes
was thriving as well. He produced hits for the majority of RCA's
Nashville acts, including Elvis Presley and Eddy Arnold, and
discovered a wealth of talent, including Don Gibson, Waylon
Jennings, Floyd Cramer, Charley Pride, Bobby Bare, and Connie
Smith. Because of his consistent track record, Atkins was promoted
to vice president of RCA's country division when Sholes died
in 1968.
The following year, Atkins had his last major hit single, "Country
Gentleman." In the late '60s and early '70s, several minor
hits followed, but only one song, "Prissy" (1968),
made it into the Top 40. Instead, the guitarist's major musical
contribution in the early part of the '70s was with Homer &
Jethro. Under the name the Nashville String Band, the trio released
five albums between 1970 and 1972. Following Homer's death,
Atkins continued to work with Jethro.
Atkins continued to record for RCA throughout the '70s, although
he was creatively stifled by the label by the end of the decade.
The guitarist wanted to record a jazz album, but he was met
with resistance by the label. In 1982, he left the label and
signed with Columbia, releasing his first album for the label,
Work It Out With Chet Atkins, in 1983. During his time at Columbia,
Atkins departed from his traditional country roots, demonstrating
that he was a bold and tasteful jazz guitarist as well. He did
return to country on occasion, particularly on duet albums with
Mark Knopfler and Jerry Reed, but by and large, Atkins' Columbia
records demonstrated a more adventurous guitarist than was previously
captured on his RCA albums.
Sadly, Atkins was diagnosed with cancer, and in 1997 doctors
removed a tumor from his brain. In his last months, the cancer
had made Atkins inactive, and he finally lost the battle on
June 30, 2001, at his home in Nashville. Throughout his career,
Chet Atkins earned numerous awards, including 11 Grammy awards
and nine CMA Instrumentalist of the Year honors, as well as
a Lifetime Achievement Award from NARAS. Although his award
list is impressive, it only begins to convey his contribution
to country music.
