Chet Atkins
Wikimp3 information about the music of Chet Atkins. On our website we have 70 albums and 61 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: 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: 100 Hits: Country
Genre: Country
Title: Covered By The Beatles Volume 1
Genre: Rock, Rock & Roll, Pop
Title: Kings & Queens Of Country (CD2)
Genre: Gospel, Rock & Roll, Country, Rockabilly, Pop
Title: Play Something Country (CD3)
Genre: Country, Country Rock, Rockabilly
Title: Ultimate ~ Guitar Legends (CD3)
Genre: Pop
Title: Top 100 Christmas Songs (CD1)
Genre: Tech House, Hip Hop/R&B, Pop
Title: Top 100 Christmas Songs (CD2)
Genre: Tech House, Hip Hop/R&B, Pop
Title: Stars ~ Guitar Legends (CD3)
Title: Stars ~ Guitar Legends (CD1)
Title: The Sound Of Nashville (CD2)
Title: The Sound Of Nashville (CD3)
Title: 50 Super Hot Instrumental
Genre: Jazz, Alternative, Acoustic, Classical, Smooth Jazz
Title: The Real Country Collection (CD1)
Genre: Country, Alternative Country, Western Swing
Title: 60s Flames Game (CD2)
Genre: Blues, Country, Rockabilly, Instrumental, Instrumental
Title: 60s Flames Game (CD4)
Genre: Blues, Country, Rockabilly, Instrumental, Instrumental
Title: Pop Rock 60s (CD4)
Title: Pop Rock 60s (CD2)
Title: RSG Vol. 10 - Drive In Show (CD1)
Genre: Rock
Title: My Favourite Hits Of 1964 (CD2)
Genre: Soul, Blues, Rock, Blues Rock, Garage Rock, Rock & Roll, Country, Pop, Pop Rock, Theatre/Soundtrack, Funk, Acoustic
Title: My Favourite Hits Of 1964 (CD5)
Genre: Rock, Blues Rock, Folk Rock, Garage Rock, Rock & Roll, Country, Pop, Pop Rock, Country Pop
Title: Jazz Guitar Classics
Genre: Jazz
Title: Classics Of Instrumental Music 2017 (CD1)
Genre: Instrumental, Instrumental
Title: Classics Of Instrumental Music 2017 (CD3)
Genre: Instrumental, Instrumental
Title: 100 Hits: The Best Country Album (CD2)
Genre: Rock, World Music, Country, Folk
Title: Elvis Tribute Concert '94
Title: 100 Hits The Best Country Album (Box Set, 5CD) (CD3)
Genre: Country
Title: Trambone The Nashville A Team Collection (CD1)
Genre: World Music, Country, Folk
Title: Trambone The Nashville A Team Collection (CD2)
Genre: World Music, Country, Folk
Title: Just Born Bad: The Birth Of Crazy Noise Guitar
Genre: Blues, Jazz, Rock, Rock & Roll, Punk Rock
Title: 100 Greatest Classic Country Songs 2021 (CD2)
Genre: Country
Title: The Unchained Melody (29 Killer Versions!)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Rock & Roll, Pop
Title: Manhattan 60S Music 2022
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Jazz, Rock, Punk Rock, Pop
Title: Manhattan Oldies 2022
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Jazz, Rock, Punk Rock, Pop
Title: Golden Years 1948-1957 · The Hits From A To Z (Vol. 58)
Genre: Pop
Title: Elvis - The Tribute (Live)
Genre: Rock, Rock & Roll, Punk Rock, Pop
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