Chet Atkins - The Essential Chet Atkins

If you're ever in Nashville, be sure to make a trip through the intersection of Fifth and Union in down town Nashville. There you'll find a statue of Chet Atkins picking his electric guitar. You'll also find a street named Chet Atkins Place that runs part way through Music Row. These are but a couple small tributes to one of the best musicians to ever pick up a guitar. A poor, asthmatic Tennessee child, his achievements far exceeded his simple boyhood dream of making a living playing guitar. He would eventually go on to earn 14 Grammys and nine CMA Awards. Never aspiring to be a record producer, Chet Atkins embraced the challenge and went on to create music so successful it helped to create what's known today as Music Row. He produced a string of huge hits by Jim Reeves, Don Gibson, Skeeter Davis, Hank Locklin and the Browns that scored on both the country and pop charts. He also added a snappy guitar break to Gibson's 1958 classic "Oh Lonesome Me." The influence he had on country and rock guitarists is nothing short of amazing. People like Jerry Reed, Vince Gill, Steve Wariner, Eddie Cochran, Duane Eddy, George Harrison, Brian Setzer and Mark Knopfler are but a small sampling of the guitarists who have been influenced by the playing of Chet Atkins. In the 1950's, he was a widely sought-after Nashville session guitarist. His playing enhanced countless records by others, something this collection doesn't ignore.

Disc one starts off with a song he recorded in 1946 called "Guitar Blues (PickirT The Blues)." Back in the '1940s, he was known as Chester Atkins. His backing groups were known as The All-Star Hillbillies, His Colorado Mountain Boys and His Guitar Pickers. A lot of the early 1940s recordings included on this collection were originally released on 78 RPM records, but have been flawlessly remastered for this compilation. Other songs included in this collection are "Centipede Boogie," "Mainstreet Breakdown," "The Third Man Theme," "Mr. Sandman," "The Poor People Of Paris" and "Oh Lonesome Me." Chet Atkins dealt with cancer on and off throughout his adult life. He'd beaten cancer in the 1980s, but it returned with a vengeance in the late 1990s. As he grew more and more frail, he was bestowed with honors like the statue which was dedicated in 2000 with Chet in attendance. Sadly, he died June 30, 2001 at 77 years old. His life was celebrated at a musical funeral at Nashville's legendary Ryman Auditorium. It was the Opry's former home where he'd first performed 55 years earlier with Red Foley. The Essential Chet Atkins is a lasting tribute to one of country and rock music's best guitarists.

Track List:

Disc 1:

1. "Guitar Blues" (PickirT The Blues)
2. "Bug Dance"
3. "Dizzy Strings"
4. "Centipede Boogie"
5. "Mainstreet Breakdown"
6. "Root, Hog Or Die"
7. "Jitterbug Waltz"
8. "The Third Man Theme"
9. "Black Mountain Rag"
10. "Country Gentlemen"
11. "City Slicker"
12. "Mr. Sandman"
13. "The Poor People Of Paris" (Jean's Song)
14. "Big D"
15. "Trambone"
16. "Should We Tell Him"
17. "Hidden Charm"
18. "Oh Lonesome Me"
19. "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles"
20. "Slinkey"

Disc 2:

1. "Boo Boo Stick Beat"
2. "Hot Mocking Bird"
3. "The Slop"
4. "Man of Mystery"
5. "Wheels"
6. "Teen Scene"
7. "Freight Train"
8. "Satan's Doll"
9. "Yakety Axe"
10. "A Taste Of Honey"
11. "Drive In"
12. "Get On With It"
13. "Cannonball Rag"
14. "Take Five"
15. "Is Anything Better Than This" (with Merle Travis)
16. "It's Been A Long, Long Time" (with Les Paul)
17. "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" (with Lenny Breau)
18. "Poor Boy Blues" (with Mark Knopfler)
19. "Sneakin'Around" (with Jerry Reed)
20. "Big Foot"