Chet Atkins

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, listeners, I cannot thank you enough for stopping by.
It's time for another episode of the Nashville Minutes podcast,
a show dedicated to all things in Nashville. Today's episode
is also dedicated to Tennessee's son, mister the One and
Only myth Man and the Legend Chet Atkins. Chet Atkins

(00:27):
was born Chester Burton Atkins on June twentieth, in nineteen
twenty four in Loutrall, Tennessee, into a musically inclined family.
His parents divorced when he was six, and he was
primarily raised by his mother. Though his father was a
music teacher and a singer, Chet largely taught himself guitar.

(00:52):
His first instrument was a ukulele and later a Sears
silvertone guitar. He struggled with severe asthma as a child,
and his practice sessions were often therapeutic. Chet listened avidly
to radio broadcasts and records, absorbing a variety of styles.

(01:14):
Influences included Merle Travis, originator of the alternating bass finger
picking style Django, Reinhardt, the gypsy jazz guitarist who inspired
Chet's jazz leanings, and Les Paul, a pioneer of overdubbing
and guitar effects. Blind Blake and Segovilla contributed blues in

(01:37):
classical elements to Chat's hybrid style. Chat's style combined melody, harmony,
and rhythm into one coherent performance. His thumb kept a
base rhythm on the low strings, while his index, middle
and ring fingers plucked melody and harmony lines on the

(01:58):
treble strings. His playing was characterized by polyphonic independence, artificial
harmonics and arpeggios, and chord melody voicings, muted bass lines,
and smooth finger transitions and voice leading. This style laid

(02:19):
the groundwork for modern finger style guitar. He emphasized tone
control and clarity over flashiness. Atkins joined RCA Victor in
the nineteen forties as a session musician and rapidly rose
through the ranks. By the nineteen fifties, he was an

(02:39):
in demand producer and studio player. He was instrumental in
the design and operation of Arcier Studio B, one of
the first studios to incorporate a dedicated echo chamber in
multi track recording techniques. The live room design was tailored
to country pop acoustics. He recorded with Elvis Presley the

(03:03):
Everly Brothers, Jim Reeves, Don Gibson, and others. He insisted
on perfect takes and used tape splicing and overdubs judiciously.
By the late nineteen fifties, Atkins had promoted to RCA's
Nashville division head. He championed a commercial sound that would

(03:25):
appeal to a national audience, helping country music evolve. Jet
signed to Dolly Parton and produced her early hits. He
helped Charlie Pride break racial barriers in country music and
fostered crossover acts that blended country and pop and jazz.

(03:47):
He walked the line between artistry and market demands, earning
both praise and critique. Chet Atkins was the Nashville sound pioneer.
The Nashville sound was characterized by orchestral arrangements, violins, cellos, etc.

(04:12):
Background vocalists like the Jordanaires, less twang and more polish,
and a pop style chord progression and bridge. It emerged
as a deliberate response to the rise of rock and roll.
Chet was a key figure alongside Owen Bradley. They recorded smoother,

(04:36):
radio friendly hits that brought country music to urban listeners
in international audiences. Examples include Patsy Kleins Crazy and Jim
Reeves He'll have to Go. Chet Atkins was prolific in
his collaborations. Notable examples mark Knopfler with Neck and Neck

(05:00):
in nineteen ninety. This showcase mutual respect between country and
British rock. Jet Akins played frequent live performances with Les Paul,
blending jazz and electric technique. Jerry Reid combined Chet's smoothness

(05:20):
with Reed's funky rhythm chops, and Tommy Manuel Jets protege in.
One of today's leading fingerstyle guitarists. His albums crossed into jazz, classical,
bossa nova, and pop, demonstrating his versatility. Some signature instruments

(05:43):
in gear include the Gretch Jeddakins model. The sixty one
to twenty is a hollowbody with a Bigsby vibrato. The
Country Gentleman is a signature closed f hole with dual
filter tron pickups, the Gibson ce Classic electrical nylon string guitar,

(06:04):
and the s ST the solid body acoustic electric. Jetakins
used early analog delay spring re Urbon often preferred Fender
and standal amplifiers. He demanded precision and tone, choosing flat
wound strings for certain sessions. Chet's numerous awards and honors

(06:28):
include fourteen Grammy Awards, including multiple for Best Country Instrumental.
Chet was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame
in nineteen seventy three, and the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame inducted him posthumously in two thousand and two.

(06:49):
President George H. Bush presented Jeddakins with the National Medal
of Arts in nineteen ninety three, and a Hollywood Walk
of Fame was awarded in nineteen ninety seven. Cheded Akins'
legacy and influence was wide reaching. His legacy indoors through

(07:09):
Certified Guitar Player Honor, which was a title he gave
to select disciples like Tommy e Manuel, and annual tribute
shows are held in Nashville, drawing fingerstyle legends. Numerous instrumental materials,
such as books, videos, and tablature based on his style

(07:30):
have been created. Cheded Atkins is revered by players from
Paul Yendell to Vince Gill to James Burton and George Harrison.
The Nashville Sound was developed throughout the fifties and sixties
as a more polished alternative to honky tonk and rock

(07:51):
and roll. Major producers were Cheded Atkins, along with Owen
Bradley and Billy Schirell. Key artists of this era included
Patsy Kleine, Jim Reeves, and Brenda Lee, along with Eddie Arnold.
The instrumentation included piano, backing, vocals, and usually string sections.

(08:18):
The strategy was to appeal to adult and pop markets,
reduced the twang and rural imagery. The birthplace of the
Nashville Sound was RCA Studio B and the Nashville A Team.
Studio B, opened in nineteen fifty seven, became known as

(08:42):
the home of one thousand hits. It was designed for
stereo recording and echo experimentation. Elvis Pressley recorded over two
hundred songs there. The A Team Floyd Kramer, Bob Moore,
Buddy Harmon, Grady Martin, along with Hank Garland and Chet

(09:05):
often directed sessions, arranged parts, or played guitar himself. Nashville
was a hub for songwriters, along with Music Row, with
its cluster of studios, publishers, and agencies, and the iconic
Bluebird Cafe at Venue four. Songwriter rounds and industry discovery

(09:28):
b AM, i as CAP, and CEASACK. All Performance Riights
organizations are headquartered here. Country pop and country politan emerged
in the late nineteen sixties and nineteen eighties. Chet's influence
laid the foundation with smooth recordings and crossover arrangements with
artists like Glenn Campbell, Dolly Pardon, Kenny Rodgers, and Barbara Mandrel.

(09:53):
These integrated pop charts, TV appearances, and international tours. Jet
Attkins is a symbol of specialism, musicianship, and genre fluidity.
He represented both the traditional roots and modern expansions of
country music. He balanced Nashville's image as a serious recording center,

(10:13):
not just a hillbilly haven, and helped transition Nashville into
the global recording hub it is today. Unfortunately, that's all
the time that we've got for today's episode of The
Nashville Minutes podcast, a show dedicated to all things Nashville,
and I can't thank you enough for stopping my another
episode in until next time.