Chet Atkins

Chet Atkins

Birth : 1924-06-20, Luttrell, Tennessee, USA

Death : 2001-06-30

History

Chester Burton "Chet" Atkins, known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician, occasional vocalist, songwriter, and record producer, who along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, among others, created the country music style that came to be known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country music's appeal to adult pop music fans. He was primarily known as a guitarist. He also played the mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and ukulele. Atkins's signature picking style was inspired by Merle Travis. Other major guitar influences were Django Reinhardt, George Barnes, Les Paul, and, later, Jerry Reed. His distinctive picking style and musicianship brought him admirers inside and outside the country scene, both in the United States and abroad. Atkins spent most of his career at RCA Victor and produced records for the Browns, Hank Snow, Porter Wagoner, Norma Jean, Dolly Parton, Dottie West, Perry Como, Floyd Cramer, Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, Eddy Arnold, Don Gibson, Jim Reeves, Jerry Reed, Skeeter Davis, Waylon Jennings, and many others. Rolling Stone credited Atkins with inventing the "popwise 'Nashville sound' that rescued country music from a commercial slump," and ranked him number 21 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time." Among many other honors, Atkins received 14 Grammy Awards and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He also received nine Country Music Association awards for Instrumentalist of the Year. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. Description above from the Wikipedia article Chet Atkins, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Profile

Chet Atkins

Movies

Country's Family Reunion: Precious Memories (Vol. 1)
Chet Atkins
We’ve created Precious Memories, a two volume collection to remember the lives of the members we've lost since we started over a decade ago. STARRING Chet Atkins, Ben Colder, Goldie Hill, Box Car Willie, Roy Drusky, Billy Walker, Del Reeves, Bill Carlisle
The Winding Stream
Self (archive footage)
The story of the American music dynasty, the Carters and Cashes, and their decades-long influence on popular music.
Opry Video Classics: Hall of Fame
Back in 1961, the Country Music Association founded the Country Music Hall of Fame to recognize the top artists, songwriters, broadcasters and executives in the business. Hall of Fame set honors the illustrious Class of '73 - Chet Atkins and Patsy Cline - with Chet's instrumental hit Yakety Axe and Patsy's Imagine That. Johnny Cash appears twice, while Willie Nelson in Mr. Record Man shows his rarely seen pre-outlaw, clean-cut side.
In Dreams: The Roy Orbison Story
Self
Roy Orbison - In Dreams is the ultimate exclusive music documentary of the life of Roy Orbison. It provides in-depth insights into his legendary career with classic performances, personal home movies and photos, location footage and interviews with the great and the humble that he touched with his music.
Big Dreams & Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story
Chet Atkins
Dottie West fought a difficult childhood to rise as one of country music's icons winning the first ever Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1965. She pushed the boundaries of country music and befriended some of their greatest musical artistes. Poor management besieged her with financial problems and she was on her way to fighting them through when she was tragically killed.
Nanci Griffith: Other Voices, Other Rooms
Self
Nanci Griffith performs her Grammy Award winning album "Other Voices, Other Rooms" live at Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas on April 28th, 1993 with special guests including Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Odetta, John Prine, Guy Clark, Iris DeMent, and many more.
Guitar
himself
Country Music Classics: Webb Pierce and Chet Atkins
Himself
Music/Musical - Historical footage of both music legends as they play their way through their most memorable hits. - Webb Pierce - Actor, Chet Atkins - Actor
The Secret Policeman’s Third Ball
Himself
When the British Amnesty shows finally resumed in 1987 after a six-year hiatus, the show format was retooled in an effort to take advantage of the growing number of rock musicians supporting Amnesty. Instead of the live show being primarily a comedy show with a few musical cameos, the event made a point of giving equal emphasis to the comedy and the music.
Stroszek
Original Music Composer
Bruno Stroszek is released from prison and warned to stop drinking. He has few skills and fewer expectations: with a glockenspiel and an accordion, he ekes out a living as a street musician. He befriends Eva, a prostitute down on her luck and they join his neighbor, Scheitz, an elderly eccentric, when he leaves Germany to live in Wisconsin.
Tennessee Jamboree
Starring Jim Reeves, Webb Pierce, and Marty Robbins along with appearances by Ray Price, June Carter, and Ernest Tubb (and many more!), this film takes you back to the country music of 1960's Nashville. Don't miss these country legends perform classic country and western tunes.