Chet Atkins facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chet Atkins
Background information
Birth name	Chester Burton Atkins
Born	(1924-06-20)June 20, 1924 Luttrell, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	June 30, 2001(2001-06-30) (aged 77) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Country pop rock folk rockabilly country rock
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter producer
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1942–1996
Labels	RCA Victor, Columbia
Associated acts	The Country All-Stars Arthur Fiedler Les Paul Jerry Reed Hank Snow Merle Travis The Carter Sisters Mark Knopfler Tommy Emmanuel Jim Carney

Chester Burton Atkins (born June 20, 1924 – died June 30, 2001) was an American musician. He was known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman". Chet Atkins helped create the Nashville sound. This was a style of country music that also appealed to pop music fans.

He was mainly a guitarist, but he also played the mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and ukulele. Sometimes, he even sang. Chet Atkins's special guitar playing style was inspired by Merle Travis. Other guitar heroes for him included Django Reinhardt and Les Paul. His unique style made him famous in country music and beyond.

Atkins spent most of his career at RCA Victor. He produced records for many famous artists. These included Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, and Waylon Jennings. Rolling Stone magazine said Atkins helped save country music from a tough time. They ranked him number 21 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." He won 14 Grammy Awards and a special Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He also won nine Country Music Association awards. Chet Atkins is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. Even George Harrison of The Beatles was inspired by Chet Atkins!

About Chet Atkins

His Early Life and Music Journey

Chet Atkins was born on June 20, 1924, in Luttrell, Tennessee. His parents divorced when he was six. He was raised by his mother. Chet was the youngest of four children. He first played the ukulele, then the fiddle. When he was nine, he traded an old pistol and chores with his brother for a guitar. He once said, "We were so poor... that it was the forties before anyone even knew there had been a depression."

Because of bad asthma, he moved to Fortson, Georgia, to live with his father. Chet was a sensitive kid who loved music. His asthma made him sleep in a straight-back chair to breathe better. On those nights, he played his guitar until he fell asleep. This habit stayed with him his whole life. He even played charity concerts later to save his old school, Mountain Hill School.

People told stories about young Chet. When a friend or relative played guitar, he would get so close. He put his ear right next to the instrument. It sometimes made it hard for the person to play!

Chet became a great guitarist in high school. He practiced in the school restroom because it sounded good. His first guitar was very basic. It had a nail for a part called the nut. Only the first few frets could be used. Later, he bought an electric guitar. But his home had no electricity. So, he had to travel far to find an outlet to plug it in.

Later in life, he gave himself and a few other guitarists a special title: CGP. This stood for "Certified Guitar Player." In 2011, his daughter said no more CGPs would be given out.

Chet's half-brother, Jim, was also a successful guitarist. He played with the Les Paul Trio in New York.

Chet didn't have his own strong guitar style until 1939. He heard Merle Travis playing on the radio. This inspired him greatly. Travis used his thumb for bass notes and his index finger for melody. Chet expanded this. He used his thumb and his first two or three fingers. This became his unique style.

Chet Atkins also loved amateur radio. He had a special call sign, W4CGP. The "CGP" was for "Certified Guitar Picker."

Starting His Music Career

After high school in 1942, Chet got a job at a radio station in Knoxville, Tennessee. He played fiddle and guitar there. He also joined a small swing band. After three years, he moved to a radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio.

He then moved to Raleigh and Richmond, Virginia. Chet was a bit shy. His fancy guitar style made some people think he wasn't "country enough." He was often fired, but his amazing playing always helped him find another job quickly.

Chet Atkins and Jethro Burns married twin sisters, Leona and Lois Johnson. Leona Atkins lived until 2009.

Chet went to Chicago and auditioned for Red Foley. Foley was a big star moving to the Grand Ole Opry. Chet first played at the Opry in 1946 with Foley's band. He also recorded his first song, "Guitar Blues." It was a modern song for its time. He had a solo spot at the Opry, but it was cut short. So, Chet moved to a radio station in Springfield, Missouri. He was again fired for not sounding "country enough."

Joining RCA Victor Records

While playing with a band in Denver, Colorado, Chet caught the eye of RCA Victor. An RCA director, Steve Sholes, found Chet in Denver.

Chet made his first RCA Victor recordings in 1947. But they didn't sell well. He moved back to Knoxville. In 1949, he joined June Carter and the Carter Sisters. This group moved to Nashville in the mid-1950s. Chet started doing recording sessions and playing on the radio. He became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in the 1950s.

Even without a big hit for RCA, Chet's fame grew. He started helping Steve Sholes with recording sessions in Nashville. Chet's first hit song was "Mr. Sandman." Then came "Silver Bell," a duet with Hank Snow. His albums became more popular too. He appeared on TV shows in the mid-1950s.

Atkins's Gretsch Country Gentleman, model G6122, 1962

Besides recording, Chet helped design guitars for Gretsch. They made popular "Chet Atkins" electric guitars from 1955 to 1980. He became the manager of RCA Victor's Nashville studios. He helped build the famous RCA Studio B, the first studio made just for recording on Music Row.

Becoming a Performer and Producer

In 1957, Chet Atkins took charge of RCA Victor's Nashville music division. Country music sales were dropping because rock and roll was so popular. Chet and Bob Ferguson decided to change the sound. They removed fiddles and steel guitars from country songs. This made country music appeal more to pop fans. This new style became known as the "Nashville sound." Chet said it was a name the media gave to their way of recording.

Chet used backup singers like the Jordanaires and a rhythm section. This helped songs like Jim Reeves's "Four Walls" become hits. It became more common for country songs to become pop hits too. Chet and Owen Bradley made the producer very important. The producer guided the artist's song choices and music.

Chet also made his own records. These often featured pop and jazz songs. He had a fancy home studio. He would record the basic music at RCA and add his guitar parts at home. Guitar players everywhere admired his albums. He became known as "Mister Guitar."

Atkins listening as Bill Porter adjusts a mix in RCA's Nashville studio

In 1959, Bill Porter became the chief engineer at RCA's Nashville studio. Porter helped Chet get a better sound from the studio's echo machine. Porter also improved the studio's acoustics. He hung special baffles from the ceiling. This made the recordings sound much better. The Nashville sound became more lively. Chet said the sound was never as great after Porter left RCA.

Chet's famous "Atkins style" of playing used his thumb and two or three fingers on his right hand. He learned this by listening to Merle Travis on a simple radio. He thought Travis used more fingers than he actually did. So, Chet developed his own unique style using more fingers.

He loved playing with other studio musicians. They were invited to play at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1960. Chet also played at the White House for every U.S. president from John F. Kennedy to George H. W. Bush. He was part of the Million Dollar Band in the 1980s. He was also known for his song "Yankee Doodle Dixie." In it, he played "Yankee Doodle" and "Dixie" at the same time on one guitar.

Before his mentor Steve Sholes died in 1968, Chet became a vice president at RCA. He brought many artists to the label. These included Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton. He also took a risk by signing Charley Pride. Pride was the first African-American country singer.

Chet's biggest hit song was "Yakety Axe" in 1965. It was based on a song by his friend, Boots Randolph. Chet didn't perform much in those days. He hired other producers to help with his work.

His Later Career

In the 1970s, Chet felt stressed by his executive duties. He produced fewer records. But he still had hits, like Perry Como's "And I Love You So" in 1973. He recorded a lot with his friend, Jerry Reed.

In 1973, Chet had some health issues. This made him change his role at RCA Records. He let others handle the business side. He wanted to go back to his first love: playing guitar. He often recorded with Jerry Reed or Jethro Burns. Chet gave his management duties to Jerry Bradley in 1973.

Chet didn't produce much at RCA after that. He became unhappy with RCA in the late 1970s. He felt they wouldn't let him play more jazz music. His albums with Les Paul, Chester & Lester and Guitar Monsters, showed his love for jazz. Chester & Lester was one of his best-selling albums. He also started designing guitars with Gibson.

Chet left RCA Records in 1982 after 35 years. He then signed with Columbia Records. Jazz was always a big part of his music. He was sometimes criticized for his jazz influences. He often said he was "a guitarist, period," not just a "country guitarist." He could read music and even played classical guitar. He also collaborated with Mark Knopfler and Tommy Emmanuel.

In his later years, he even went back to radio. He appeared on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion show. He would sometimes play the fiddle.

His Awards and Legacy

Chet Atkins won many awards. He received 14 Grammy awards. He also won nine Country Music Association awards for Instrumentalist of the Year. In 1993, he got the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Billboard magazine gave him its Century Award in 1997. This was for his amazing creative achievements.

Chet Atkins had a huge influence on music. His love for many music styles was clear. He played everything from old jazz to rock. Many classical guitarists today first heard classical guitar through his albums.

Chet kept performing in the 1990s. But his health declined after 1996. He passed away on June 30, 2001, at his home in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 77 years old. His memorial service was held at Ryman Auditorium. He was buried in Nashville.

A part of Interstate 185 in Georgia is named "Chet Atkins Parkway." This road goes through Fortson, where he spent much of his childhood.

In 2002, Chet Atkins was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The next year, he was ranked number 28 on CMT's "40 Greatest Men of Country Music."

Many musicians were inspired by Chet Atkins. These include jazz guitarist Earl Klugh and Doyle Dykes. Johnny Winter's guitar style also came from Chet's playing.

Clint Black's album Nothin' but the Taillights has a song called "Ode to Chet." Chet Atkins played guitar on this song. His song "Jam Man" has been used in commercials.

In 1967, a tribute song called "Chet's Tune" was made for his birthday. Many RCA Victor artists sang on it. In 2009, Steve Wariner released an album called My Tribute to Chet Atkins. One song from it won a Grammy in 2010.

In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Chet Atkins number 21 on their list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

Industry Awards

Country Music Association

• 1967 Instrumentalist of the Year
• 1968 Instrumentalist of the Year
• 1969 Instrumentalist of the Year
• 1981 Instrumentalist of the Year
• 1982 Instrumentalist of the Year
• 1983 Instrumentalist of the Year
• 1984 Instrumentalist of the Year
• 1985 Instrumentalist of the Year
• 1988 Musician of the Year

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

• Inducted in 1973

Grammy Awards

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

• Inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Images for kids

• 

  Atkins listening as Bill Porter adjusts a mix in RCA's Nashville studio

• 

  Atkins's Gretsch Country Gentleman, model G6122, 1962

See also

In Spanish: Chet Atkins para niños