Chet Atkins Guitar Tab Books, Instruction DVDs, Solos, Arrangements, Video Lessons

    Guitar picker Chet Atkins holds a position in music history reserved for a truly select few! His contributions to country guitar playing are huge as is his effect on guitar performers worldwide. Generally put, fingerstyle guitar music would not be the same today if it wasn't for Chet Atkins. Chet is probably the most well known guitarist in the history of country music!

    His guitar playing has enhanced the recordings of Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Hank Williams, Jerry Reed and Les Paul to name but a couple. Initially a disciple of country fingerstyle guitarist Merle Travis, Chet's ground breaking guitar work throughout his recording career of over 50 years has in turn influenced the guitar techniques of such noteworthy guitar players as Mark Knopfler, Eric Johnson, and George Harrison.

    Though his virtuosity on the instrument is legendary, his abilities were not limited to the guitar by itself. As a record producer for RCA Victor records he is often credited for solitarily developing the "Nashville Sound" as we understand it today - fusing the twang of traditional country music with a pop sensibility.

    His number of record producer credits sounds like a "who's who" in  country music including Patsy Klein, Waylan Jennings, Charlie Pride, Elvis Presley and Jerry Reed. He additionally discovered and signed such famous entertainers as Dolly Parton, Ronnie Milsap, Willie Nelson, and Steve Wariner while still finding the time to release his own albums!.

    Chester Burton Atkins was born upon June 20th, 1924 in Luttrell, TN about 20 miles northeast of Knoxville. His very first musical mentor was his older brother Jim, a highly accomplished guitarist who at some point continued to go on to play with Les Paul. Chet's father and mom separated when he was 10 and he moved to Georgia to reside with his dad, who was a music teacher and vocal coach for numerous touring evangelists.

    At his brother's suggestion, the fiddle ended up being Chet's first instrument but it wasn't long before he got a Sears Silvertone guitar and started studying ways to play it. He advanced rapidly and by the time he got out of high school in 1941 at the age of 17, he had decided to make a career for himself in music.

    Chet's polished guitar style was a difficult sell at first. He held a few guitar playing slots at a number of radio stations in Knoxville and Cincinnati, however he was typically dismissed due to the fact that his style wasn't hillbilly enough. Throughout that time while working with Homer and Jethro, Chet met his future wife Leona Johnson and they married in 1946. Later on that year Chet finally caught a break when he gave his first appearance at the Grand Old Opry where his captivating style was enthusiastically received!

    Numerous radio positions followed in Virginia and Missouri, however in 1947 with the arrival of his first daughter and poor employment prospects, Chet relocatd back to Knoxville to perform with Homer and Jethro. Eventually a tape of Chet's radio performances was dispatched to RCA Victor's main office in Chicago and made its way to the desk of Steve Sholes, the label's head of country music. After getting a now historic phone call from Sholes, Chet moved his household to Nashville.

    Steve Sholes, RCA Victor's head of country music, was enormously impressed by Chet's guitar playing and put him to work right away after hearing him play. Chet was featured on practically every recording session from 1949! Mother Maybelle and the Carter Family Sisters hired him a year later as a regular performer on the Grand Ole Opry signaling that Chet Atkins had finally arrived in Nashville!

    Throughout that time, Chet's guitar playing appeared on records by Hank Williams, The Louvin Brothers, The Carlisles, Kitty Wells and a great deal of others. One time when Sholes could not be there to manage the sessions due to various business responsibilities, Chet was asked to oversee the actual recording of the albums himself.

    By the mid-50s, Chet was supervising the recordings of 30 performers every year and tape-recording his own guitar record albums for RCA. His 1954 debut album, "Chet Atkins and His Galloping Guitar" produced his hit instrumental version of "Mister Sandman" and incorporated his now well-known "Country Gentleman" guitar. A trademark design Gretsch guitar was developed bearing Chet's name and it ultimately grew to end up being a huge seller at the beginning of the 60's when George Harrison made it his guitar of choice with The Beatles.

    Chet performed on Elvis Presley's historic RCA debut "Heartbreak Hotel" in 1956 and provided the legendary tremoloed electric guitar part on The Everly Brothers "All I Have to Do Is Dream". If a country tune had been produced in Nashville throughout the mid 50s to mid 60s, there's an excellent chance Chet Atkins played on it or produced it! It is throughout that time that Chet began to be called "Mister Guitar".

    Chet was promoted to Supervisor of Operations at RCA Victor in 1957 and immediately got the company to construct its' own business office and studio. The result, Recording Studio B, grew to become the first long standing record company on the now well-known "Music Row" in Nashville. It was there that Chet began to craft "The Nashville Sound".

    With his knowledgeable method of producing records by combining the use of strings, layered background vocals, and pop sounding settings, Chet is generally credited with rescuing popular country music which was in a decline at the time due to the prevalence of rock-and-roll. An endless string of hits poured from Studio B by such entertainers as Jim Reeves, Hank Locklin, Roger Miller, Hank Snow, and George Hamilton.

    Throughout the 70s Chet began to concentrate a lot more on performing and embarked on a number of collective recordings with Lenny Breau, Jerry Reed, Hank Snow, Les Paul, Doc Watson, and Merle Travis - leading to critical praise and multiple awards. Chet introduced his very first instructional video for guitar in 1987 "Get Started On Guitar" and followed in 1996 with a sophisticated training guitar video "The Guitar of Chet Atkins" which showcases an extensive look at Chet's guitar techniques and a fully detailed explanation of 9 of his solos.

    Chet Atkins passed away from cancer at the age of 77 on June 30th, 2001 at his home in Nashville. The musical tradition he left behind is tremendous. His numerous guitar friends and admirers typically described Chet as kind, simple, and real - a true "Country Gentleman". Guitar players the world over can be thankful for the splendid body of work he left for them to study. If any individual is worthy of the title "Mister Guitar" it is absolutely Chet Atkins!

Jazz Guitar Chords & Arpeggio Patterns - Stacy McKee - This unique book includes 300 jazz guitar chord formations and matching single note arpeggio patterns in a quick reference format that no one has ever done before! Cross indexing makes this manual extremely easy to use and regardless of what style of music you play, we know you will find this to be a valuable, "must have" addition to your library.  Stacy McKee was the featured guitarist with "Les Brown and The Band Of Renown" and for a limited time only, we will include an exclusive copy of his book FREE with your first order!
==> Click here to see the Stacy McKee Chord Melody Solo Collection <==