Chet Atkins

ATKINS CHET, THE BEST OF Styles and Techniques of the Father of Country Guitar. CD TAB.

A Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Styles and Techniques of the Father of Country Guitar
Series: Signature Licks Guitar
Softcover with CD - TAB
Author: Chad Johnson
Artist: Chet Atkins
Learn the trademark riffs and licks behind one of the most influential recording artists of all time and one of the founders of the Nashville sound. This book/CD pack features analysis and lessons for 12 Atkins hits along with a CD featuring full demos.
72 pages

INTRODUCTION
Chet Atkins holds a place in musical history reserved for a very select few. His contributions to country music are inestimable, as is his influence on guitar players worldwide.
Simply put, country music would not be the same today if it weren't for Chet. Quite likely the most recorded instrumentalist in the history of popular music, his guitar playing has graced the records of Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Hank Williams, Jerry Reed, and Les Paul, to name but a few. Originally a disciple of fingerstyle legend Merle Travis, Chefs groundbreaking guitar work throughout his recording career of over fifty years has in turn influenced the styles of such notable players as Mark Knopfler, Eric Johnson, and George Harrison. And although his virtuosity on the instrument is well acknowledged, his talents were not limited to the guitar alone. As a producer for RCA records, he is often credited as single-handedly creating the "Nashville Sound" as we know it today, fusing the twang of traditional country with a pop sensibility. His list of producer credits reads like a "who's who" in popular country music, including Patsy Cline, Waylon Jennings, Charley Pride, Elvis Presley, and Jerry Reed. He also discovered and/or signed such legendary artists as Dolly Parton, Ronnie Milsap, Willie Nelson, and Steve Wariner.
Chester Burton Atkins was born on June 20, 1924, in Luttrell, Tennessee, about twenty miles northeast of Knoxville. His first musical influence was his older brother Jim, a highly accomplished guitar player who eventually went on to play with Les Paul. Chefs parents separated when he was ten, and he moved to Georgia to live with his father, a music teacher and song leader for several traveling evangelists. At his brother's suggestion, the fiddle became Chefs first instrument, but it wasn't long before he acquired a Sears Silvertone guitar and started learning to play it. He advanced rapidly, and by the time he left high school in 1941 at age seventeen, he had made up his mind to make a career for himself in music.
Chefs sophisticated style was a tough sell at first. He held a few performance slots at various radio stations in Knoxville and eventually Cincinnati, but he was often dismissed because his style wasn't "hillbilly" enough. During this time, while working at WLW with the duo Homer and Jethro, Chet met his future wife, Leona Johnson. They married in 1946. Later that year, Atkins finally received a break when, in support of Red Foley, he made his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, where his ear-grabbing style was greatly appreciated. Several more radio positions followed in Virginia and Missouri, but in 1947, with the birth of his first daughter and poor job prospects, Chet moved back to Knoxville to work with Homer and Jethro at WNOX. Eventually, a tape of Chefs radio performances was sent to RCA Victor's office in Chicago and made its way to Steve Sholes, the label's head of country music. After receiving a call from Sholes, Chet moved the family to
Nashville.
Sholes was greatly impressed by Chefs playing and put him to work immediately; Chet was featured on nearly every recording session of 1949. Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters hired him a year later as a regular on the Grand Ole Opry, signaling that Chet had officially arrived in Nashville. During this time, Chefs playing wound up on records by Hank Williams ("Cold, Cold Heart" and "Jambalya"), The Louvin Brothers ("When I Stop Dreaming"), The Carlisles ("Too Old to Cut the Mustard" and "No Help Wanted"), Kitty Wells ("Release Me" and "Repenting"), and many more. When Sholes could not make the sessions because of other business, Chet was allowed to produce them himself.
By the mid-fifties, Chet was producing thirty artists a year as well as recording his own albums for RCA. His 1954 debut album, Chet Atkins and His Galloping Guitar, produced his hit instrumental version of "Mister Sandman" and included his now-classic "Country Gentleman." A signature model Gretsch guitar was developed bearing Chefs name; it eventually became a huge seller in the early sixties when George Harrison made it his guitar of choice with the Fab Four. Chet played on Elvis Presley's historic RCA debut, "Heartbreak Hotel," in 1956, and provided the famous tremoloed electric guitar part on the Everly Brothers' "All I Have to Do Is Dream." He became to country guitar what James...
 

Big Foot
Blue Angel
Cascade
Chinatown, My Chinatown
Country Gentleman
Galloping On The Guitar
A Little Mark Musik
Mister Sandman
So Soft Your Goodbye
There'll Be Some Changes Made
Yakety Axe
You Do Something To Me

ATKINS CHET AND JERRY REED IN CONCERT AT THE BOTTOM LINE, JUNE 22ND, 1992.

Product Description:
Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed in concert together. What a treat!! These two masters of the guitar complemented each other so well that it is hard to imagine one without the other! Chet Atkins, the subdued quiet picker, thrilled at performing the fast, frantic instrumental written by his energetic alter ego, Jerry Reed. Their careers intertwined for most of forty years, resulting in a number of award-winning collaborations. Their 1992 Grammy Award winning CD "Sneakin' Around" led to several show dates together, including this performance at the Bottom Line. The instrumentals that were shared by these two guitar giants will be played and studied as long as there are guitarists on this planet. This 84-minute video features 18 selections including Copper Kettle, Waltz for the Lonely, Summertime, and more. Lover come back to me -waltz for the lonely -bye bye blackbird -don't think twice its all right -pushin' -downhome music -reedology -there'll be some changes made -pms I guess -hormones -sneakin' around -georgia on my mind -I still can't say goodbye -summertime. Medley: -windy and warm -mister sandman -wildwood flower -I'll see you in my dreams -freight train -yakety axe -the claw -three little words. DVD

Contents:

1. Copper Kettle
2. Waltz for the Lonely
3. Bye Bye Blackbird
4. Don't Think Twice It's All Right
5. Pushin'
6. Downhome Music
7. Reedology
8. There'll Be Some Changes Made
9. PMS I Guess
10. Hormones
11. Sneakin' Around
12. Georgia on My Mind
13. I Still Can't Say Goodbye
14. Summertime
15. Medley: a) Windy and Warm; b) Mister Sandman; c) Wildwood Flower; d) I'll See You in My Dreams; e) Freight Train; f) Yakety Axe
16. The Claw
17. Vincent
18. Three Little Words

ATKINS CHET, THE GUITAR OF. TAB. DVD

Product Description:
This book of hymn arrangements as recorded by Chet Atkins was done in hopes that other guitarists will benefit from the availability of beautiful hymns for guitar, both for use in worship services and for personal enjoyment as well. The arrangements are given in notation and tablature just as Chet played them. They have not been simplified, and are intended for use by those who know and appreciate Chet's style of guitar technique. Fingerings and performance notes have been added by the transcriber.

Bye Bye Blackbird
Happy Again
Londonderry Aire
Lover Come Back
Maybelle
Mr. Bo Jangles
Petite Waltz
When You Wish Upon a Star
Young Thing

ATKINS CHET, IN THREE DIMENSIONS: CHET LICKS. CHET ATKINS & JOHN MCCLELLAN. 2-DVD

Product Description:
Continues the best-selling Mel Bay book series: Chet Atkins In Three Dimensions, Fifty Years of Legendary Guitar Volume 1 & Volume 2. New and fascinating work (instruction and commentary) on Chet Atkins; Close-up views of right & Left Hands; Graded progression from Part 1 to Part 2 (alternating bass to advanced harmonics) and Like having a private master class from a Master Coach.

Watch the author on DVD teaching and conveying his very special knowledge of guitar and Chet. Hosted by John McClellan, Chet Atkins in Three Dimensions Chet Licks clearly explains and defines the musical philosophy and style that made Chet Atkins the "singular" figure of fingerstyle guitar in the 20th century.

Virtuoso guitarist and friend of the Atkins family, John demonstrates Chet's techniques (alternating bass, slurs, cross-string scales, arpeggios, tone production artificial harmonics and more and discusses the key elements of Chet's musicianship.

John uses graded musical examples from pieces such as "Avalon," "Take Five," "Canned Heat," "Mainstreet Breakdown" and many others. Filmed with high quality video and audio, "Chet Licks" is a must for the guitarist who desires to learn from this American master…Mr. Chet Atkins.