Chet Atkins

Chet Atkins (1924-2001) was the architect of the Nashville Sound and one of the most influential guitarists in American music. As a producer and executive at RCA Victor from the 1950s onward, he shaped the careers of Elvis Presley, Eddy Arnold, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and dozens of others. His own guitar playing — a fingerpicking style that blended country, jazz, and classical influences — was so distinctive that the technique became known as the Chet Atkins style. He played Gretsch guitars throughout most of his career, most notably the Gretsch Country Gentleman, a hollow-body guitar developed in direct collaboration with Gretsch. He was named an honorary member of the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1973 and inducted as a performer in 1973. He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.