Chet Atkins
Wikimp3 information about the music of Chet Atkins. On our website we have 70 albums and 70 collections of artist Chet Atkins. You can find useful information and download songs of this artist. We also know that Chet Atkins represents Country genres.
Biography
[Edit]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.
Title: Two Different Worlds - Lonely This Christmas
Artist: Chet Atkins
Genre: Traditional Pop Music
Title: San Antonio Rose (Performed Live On The Ed Sullivan Show 2/8/70) - Single
Artist: Floyd Cramer, Chet Atkins
Genre: Country
Title: Chester And Lester Guitar Monsters
Artist: Chet Atkins, Les Paul
Genre: Country, Instrumental, Instrumental
Title: Chet Atkins in Hollywood Plus the Other Chet Atkins
Artist: Chet Atkins
Genre: Jazz, World Music, Country
Collections
Title: Country Volume 7
Genre: Country
Title: Country Western Songs, Vol. 1
Genre: Country
Title: Go West: 40 Country Classics
Genre: Country
Title: The Hot 100 - Country Classics, Vol. 2
Genre: Country
Title: The Hot 100 - Country Classics, Vol. 3
Genre: Country
Title: The Wild Guitar, Vol. 2
Genre: Country
Title: Greatest Hits of 1960, Vol. 1
Genre: Pop
Title: If I Cry - Hank Thompson & Friends
Genre: Country
Title: Let Me Remember - Jim Reeves & Friends
Genre: Country
Title: Relax FM Vol. 5
Genre: Pop
Title: Relax FM Vol. 8
Genre: Pop
Title: Relax FM Music In White
Genre: Pop
Title: Hit Parade XX Century Instrumental Music (CD2)
Genre: Instrumental
Title: Country Christrmas Songs
Genre: Country
Title: Country Christmas Collection
Genre: Country
Title: Classic Country Christmas (CD2)
Genre: World Music, Country
Title: Melody Hits - World Instrumental
Genre: Instrumental
Title: Country Music 2013
Title: Romantic Collection Instrumental
Genre: Pop, Instrumental
Title: Sounds Of The Sixties - 1960 (CD3)
Genre: Pop Rock
Title: 500 Song Country Collection (CD 10)
Genre: Country
Title: Somewhere, My Love - Romatic Guitar And Orchestra
Genre: Pop
Title: The Best Of LoungeLegends - February 2013
Genre: Instrumental
Title: Nice And Easy Collection - Edition IX
Genre: Pop, Instrumental
Title: Country Tonight Songs 50
Title: Beautiful Melodies (Disc 2)
Genre: Pop
Title: Easy Listening Memories - Edition III
Genre: Instrumental
Title: Easy Listening Memories - Edition IV
Genre: Instrumental
Title: Relax Cocktail
Genre: Chill Out
Title: Easy Listening Memories - Edition X
Genre: Instrumental
Title: Penvaritel (CD2)
Genre: Pop
Title: Penvaritel (CD3)
Genre: Pop
Title: Absolute Relax Vol. 2 (CD1)
Title: Come Together (America Salutes The Beatles)
Genre: Rock, World Music, Pop
Title: Blues Corner - The Best Of Blues (CD2)
Genre: Blues
Title: Pure... Country (CD2)
Genre: Country
Title: Jazz Café Vol. 4 (Chillin Guitar Classics In Lounge)
Genre: Lounge
Title: Instrumental Gold Collection, Volume 6 (Disc 1)
Genre: Instrumental
Title: Instrumental Gold Collection, Volume 3 (Disc 2)
Genre: Instrumental
Title: Instrumental Gold Collection, Volume 1 (Disc 2)
Genre: Instrumental
Title: Instrumental Gold Collection, Volume 1 (Disc 1)
Genre: Instrumental
Title: Kuscheljazz Vol. 2 (CD2)
Genre: Jazz
Title: Guitar Greats
Genre: Rock, Rockabilly
Title: Legends Of Guitar Country Vol 2
Genre: Country, Instrumental
Title: Audiophile Vol. 13 - Blues Notes
Genre: Blues
Title: Instrumental Lounge Vol. 10
Genre: Chill Out, Instrumental, Lounge
Title: Super Instrumental Music Collection (CD1)
Genre: Instrumental
Title: Super Instrumental Music Collection (CD2)
Genre: Instrumental
Title: American Heartland Legends Of Country (CD3)
Genre: Country
Title: 100 Hits Country (CD5)
Genre: Country
Title: 100% Hit Records, Vol. 7
Title: Metal-Hard Rock Covers 262
Genre: Rock, Hard Rock, Metal, Heavy Metal
Title: Blues And Rock Ballads Vol. 4 (CD1)
Genre: Blues
Title: The Backbeat Of Rock And Roll (CD1)
Genre: Rock, Rock & Roll, Rockabilly
Featuring albums
Title: Surviving Christmas (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Artist: Randy Edelman
Genre: Pop, Traditional Pop Music, Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys
Artist: Asleep At The Wheel
Genre: Country
Title: A Prairie Home Companion: Duets
Artist: Guests, Garrison Keillor
Genre: World Music, Country, Songwriter/Lyricist, Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: A Prairie Home Companion Final Performance, Vol. 1
Artist: Garrison Keillor
Genre: Jazz, World Music, Songwriter/Lyricist, Theatre/Soundtrack, Humor
Title: A Prairie Home Companion Final Performance, Vol. 2
Artist: Garrison Keillor
Genre: Jazz, World Music, Songwriter/Lyricist, Theatre/Soundtrack, Humor
Title: A Child's Celebration Of Silliest Songs
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Kids, Theatre/Soundtrack, Vocal & Symphonic
Title: Hillbilly, Bop, Boogie & the Honky Tonk Blues, Vol. 1 (1948 - 1950)
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Jazz, Vocal Jazz, Country
Title: Detication to the King of Rock & Roll "I Was the One"
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Rock, Rock & Roll
Title: The Complete Country & Western Recordings: 1959-1986 (CD4)
Artist: Ray Charles
Genre: Country
Title: Epic Americana: Pre-War Blues, Country & Folk
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Blues, Country, Songwriter/Lyricist