• Chet Atkins is a legendary guitar player and record producer who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1973.

• Fast Facts

  1. Name: Chester Burton Atkins
  2. Born: June 20, 1924
  3. Died: June 30, 2001
  4. Origin: Luttrell, Tennessee
  5. Years active: 1942-2001
  6. Record label: RCA Records
  7. Albums: 141

• Career

  Trading his pistol for a guitar at the age of nine, Chet Atkins rapidly learned the instrument and played it well by the time he left high school in 1941.

  Atkins made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry and also made his first recordings in 1946. After Atkins worked for various radio stations, one of his recordings was sent to RCA Records. RCA contacted Atkins and he moved to Nashville to begin recording.

  Atkins went on to record and preform, dying at age 77 after a battle with cancer in 2001.

• Notable Works

  • 1952: Chet Atkins' Gallopin' Guitar
  • 1959: Mister Guitar
  • 1967: Chet Atkins Picks the Best
  • 1975: The Golden Guitar of Chet Atkins
  • 1980: The Best of Chet Atkins on the Road-Live

• Chet Atkins Quote

  "Years from now, after I'm gone someone will listen to what I've done and know I was here. They may not know or care who I was, but they'll hear my guitars speaking for me."—Chet AtkinsChet Atkins-Mister Guitar: Chet Atkins

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