Chet Atkins

Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001) was born in Luttrell, Tennessee, and was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He and Owen Bradley helped create the style of country music that became known as the “Nashville Sound” and expanded country music’s appeal to a much wider audience. He was known as a guitarist but played the mandolin, fiddle, and banjo. Without Chet Atkins, country music might never have crossed over into the pop charts in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Atkins' trademark picking style and musicianship made him admirers inside and outside country music. As successful as he was as a session musician, Atkins' biggest influence on country music came as a record producer. Atkins produced for artists like Hank Snow, Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, Dottie West, The Everly Brothers, Elvis Presley, Jerry Reed and Skeeter Davis.

Among his many honors, Atkins received 14 Grammy Awards, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.