Atkins, Chet (1924—)

Nashville's emergence as the center of country music recording in the late 1950s, and the development of the unique Nashville sound, helped to revive the industry at a time when country was losing ground to rock 'n' roll. Chet Atkins, who became a permanent fixture at the Grand Ole Opry as a talented and technically precise guitarist, was one of the pioneers of Nashville's new sound. He is also recognized as one of the more influential figures in the history of country music recording, having been responsible for both the discovery and development of many prominent country stars.

Atkins was born in 1924 in Luttrell, Tennessee, a small Appalachian town tucked away in the state's eastern corner. His half-brother Jim, a talented guitarist who played in the Les Paul Trio in the 1930s, served as a role model for Chet, who began playing the guitar at a young age. In the early stages of his career, Atkins worked as a guitarist for local radio stations in the region and played as a backup for several recording artists, including the Carter family. In the late 1940s, Steve Sholes, who worked for RCA in New York, noticed Atkins' talents and hired him to record his own songs. His first single, in which he was the featured vocalist, met with little success, but other early instrumental recordings, such as "Canned Heat" and "Country Gentleman," found receptive audiences. His intricate style of play established Atkins as one of the more technically gifted guitarists in the industry.

Atkins the musician, however, soon gave way to Atkins the producer. His administrative skills equaled his musical ones, prompting Sholes to give Atkins increasing responsibilities in RCA's studios. By the late 1950s, he was head of operations for the Nashville offices. He soon discovered his first hit artist, Don Gibson, whose singles "Oh Lonesome Me" and "I Can't Stop Loving You," both of which Atkins produced, enjoyed immediate success. Atkins then began to bring in an assortment of artists, with diverse and innovative styles, into the studio, marking the beginnings of the Nashville sound. In the late 1950s he was named Vice President at RCA, and continued to produce recordings for some of Nashville's most popular stars. Hank Snow, Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves, Charlie Pride, and Jerry Reed are only a few of the many artists whose careers were enhanced by Atkins' production talents. Atkins has also released many of his own albums, and continues to appear regularly on Nashville's Grand Ole Opry.

Atkins' legacy is in some ways controversial, a fact that he himself has admitted. As an innovator, Atkins changed the face of country music considerably, bringing in new instrumentation such as strings and horns, giving country music a richer and more technically complicated style. As his own music was influenced by a variety of styles, including jazz, pop, and classical, Atkins brought such diversity to bear on the industry, giving rise to crossover artists who were comfortable in front of country, rock, or pop audiences. Such changes, while broadening the audience for country music, also set into motion changes which have caused some within the industry to bemoan the loss of country's proper roots. Regardless of the meanings behind country music's development over the past decades, Chet Atkins undoubtedly has had an enormous impact on both the music and the industry.

—Jeffrey W. Coker

Further Reading:

Carr, Patrick, editor. The Illustrated History of Country Music. Garden City, New York, Doubleday, 1979.

Malone, Bill C. Country Music USA. Austin, University of Texas Press, 1985.

Nash, Alanna. Behind Closed Doors: Talking with the Legends of Country Music. New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 1988.