Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton "Chet" Atkinswas an American musician, occasional vocalist, songwriter and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, amongst others, created the country music style that came to be known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well. He was primarily known as a guitarist, but also played the mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and ukulele...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionGuitarist
Date of Birth20 June 1924
CityLuttrel, TN
CountryUnited States of America
There is a long history in country music of songs celebrating drinking and lamenting drinking. Country songs for the most part have always been heavily rooted in reality. The first artists were the people next door. They would sing on their porch or in their living room or at a barn dance. They sang about what they knew, and a lot of that was drinking.
It takes a lot of devotion and work, or maybe I should say play, because if you love it, that's what it amounts to I haven't found any shortcuts, and I've been looking for a long time.
Copying one person is stealing. Copying ten is research.
A long apprenticeship is the most logical way to success. The only alternative is overnight stardom, but I can't give you a formula for that.
Everything I've ever done was out of fear of being mediocre.
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.
When I was a little boy, I told my dad, 'When I grow up, I want to be a musician.' My dad said: 'You can't do both, Son'.
...Everyone has their own sound, and if you're heard enough, folks will come to recognize it. Style however, is a different thing. Try to express your own ideas. It's much more difficult to do, but the rewards are there if you're good enough to pull it off ...
You shape your own destiny.
Once you become predictable, no one's interested anymore.
Approach your guitar intelligently, and if there are limits, don't deny them. Work within your restrictions. Somethings you can do better than others, some things you can't do as well. So accentuate the positive.
Ray Cummins is my good friend and one of the best finger pickers around.
The last song I recorded with [Hank Williams, Sr.] was "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive." I remember thinking, "Hoss, you're not just jivin'," because he was so weak that all he could do was sing a few lines and then just fall in the chair.
You want a little talent on that?