Chester Burton Atkins,also known as "Mister Guitar" and "the Country Gentleman",was an American musician who,along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson,helped create the Nashville sound,the country music style which expanded its appeal to adult pop music fans. He was primarily a guitarist,but he also played the mandolin,fiddle,banjo,and ukulele,and occasionally sang.
Floyd Cramer was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "whole-step" attacks. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His signature playing style was a cornerstone of the pop-oriented "Nashville sound" of the 1950s and 1960s. Cramer's "slip-note" or "bent-note" style,in which a passing note slides almost instantly into or away from a chordal note,influenced a generation of pianists. His sound became popular to the degree that he stepped out of his role as a sideman and began touring as a solo act. In 1960,his piano instrumental solo,"Last Date" went to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music chart and sold over one million copies. Its follow-up,"On the Rebound",topped the UK Singles Chart in 1961. As a studio musician,he became one of a cadre of elite players dubbed the Nashville A-Team and he performed on scores of hit records.
Anita Jean Kerr was an American singer,arranger,composer,conductor,pianist,and music producer. She recorded and performed with her vocal harmony groups in Nashville,Los Angeles,and Europe.
Dottie West Sings Sacred Ballads is a studio album by American country music artist Dottie West. It was released in July 1967 on RCA Victor Records and was produced by Chet Atkins. The album was West's sixth studio effort and only gospel music collection to be released during her career. The album did not spawn any singles nor did it reach positions on any national publication charts.
Danny Davis was an American country music band leader,trumpet player,vocalist and producer,best known as the founder and leader of the Nashville Brass. He is also famous for performing the English theme song of the anime series Speed Racer.
Chet Atkins' discography is large and diverse. Not only did he release principal studio albums as a solo artist,he was a prolific and much sought-after collaborator. He also played as a sideman on many more. His major collaborations were with Hank Snow,Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra,The Country All-Stars,The Nashville String Band,Jerry Reed,Merle Travis,Doc Watson,Lenny Breau,Les Paul,Mark Knopfler,Suzy Bogguss,Floyd Cramer,Johnny Gimble,and Tommy Emmanuel. He frequently guested on a track or two with other friends. Several of his recordings won or were nominated for Grammy Awards.
Guitar Country is the twenty-fourth studio album by American guitarist Chet Atkins. The album was a nominee for the 1964 Best Country &Western Album Grammy award,however it was beat out by Roger Miller's "Dang Me/ Chug-A-Lug". The album stayed on the Country albums charts for 33 weeks,peaking at #1 in May of 1964. Prior to 1964,there was no separate genre chart for Country LPs,thus Chet's previous charting albums were on the Pop charts. Numerous future Atkins releases "crossed over" from the Country and Pop charts.
Me and My Guitar is the forty-eighth studio album by American guitarist Chet Atkins. It was nominated for the Best Country &Western Instrumental Performance Grammy in 1978. Atkins joined Floyd Cramer and Danny Davis that same year to produce Chet Floyd &Danny which was also nominated.
Me &Chet is the title of the follow-up to Me &Jerry,the successful duet recording by Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed. It was nominated for the 1972 Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance but did not win. Chet's solo release Chet Atkins Picks on the Hits was also nominated in the same category. It reached No. 24 on the Billboard Country Album charts.
Chet,Floyd &Boots is a studio album by American guitarist Chet Atkins,pianist Floyd Cramer and saxophone player Boots Randolph. Boots had a novelty hit with Yakety Sax which Chet covered,playing the saxophone lead on guitar,as Yakety Axe - which also became a hit. Cramer was a regular session musician at the Nashville studios,playing with a multitude of artists including Elvis Presley and Brenda Lee,helping to define the "Nashville Sound" that Atkins had also helped develop. The trio briefly toured together.
The Nashville A-Team was a nickname given to a group of session musicians in Nashville,Tennessee,who earned wide acclaim in the 1950s,1960s,and early 1970s,similar to their West Coast counterpart who became known as the Wrecking Crew. Some members of the Nashville A-Team were also subsequently or previously members of the Wrecking Crew. They backed dozens of popular singers,including Elvis Presley,Eddy Arnold,Patsy Cline,Jim Reeves,Bob Dylan,Moon Mullican,Jerry Lee Lewis,Brenda Lee,and others.
After the Riot at Newport is an album by the Nashville All-Stars,which was recorded live after the cancellation of their appearance at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival.
The Million Dollar Band was an all-star group of session musicians that often performed on the Hee Haw television variety show from August 1980 through November 1988.
The Best of Chet Atkins &Friends is a compilation recording by American guitarist Chet Atkins,released in 1976. It peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Country Albums charts in 1977.
I'll Sing You a Song and Harmonize Too is the debut studio album by American country artist Skeeter Davis. The album was released in November 1959 by RCA Victor and was produced by Chet Atkins. It signified Davis' first solo album ever released after departing from the duo,The Davis Sisters.
Here's the Answer is the second studio album by American country artist Skeeter Davis. The album was released in January 1961 on RCA Victor Records and was produced by Chet Atkins. The album consisted of cover versions of hit singles by country artists and answer songs to the hits.
Dottie Sings Eddy is a studio album by American country music artist Dottie West. It was released in March 1969 on RCA Victor Records. The album was co-produced by Chet Atkins and Danny Davis. The project was a tribute to country artist,Eddy Arnold,whom West considered an inspiration in her career. West covered 11 tracks that were originally recorded by Arnold throughout his career.
Foreign Love is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Hank Locklin. It was released in January 1958 via RCA Victor Records and was produced by Chet Atkins. It was the Locklin's debut studio album in his recording career. It was also a concept album that focused around the theme of love overseas. The album would be one of many Locklin concept records issued by RCA Victor until 1972. Foreign Love featured his major hit from 1957,"Geisha Girl." It was received favorably by critics in years following its release.
Irish Songs,Country Style is a studio album by American country singer–songwriter Hank Locklin. It was released in January 1964 via RCA Victor Records and was produced by Chet Atkins. Irish Songs,Country Style was a collection of traditional Irish songs recorded in a country fashion. It was one of several concept albums Locklin recorded during the course of his career. The album was largely inspired by his popularity in Ireland.
Hank Locklin Sings Eddy Arnold is a studio album by American country singer–songwriter Hank Locklin. It was released in June 1965 via RCA Victor Records and was produced by Chet Atkins. The project was Locklin's tenth studio album and one of several concept albums he made during his career. The album was a collection of cover songs first recorded by Locklin's musical inspiration,Eddy Arnold. It included some of his biggest hits and most well-known songs. The collection received mixed reviews from critics and publications.
