180 Grams Archive

Chet Atkins – Chet Atkins In Hollywood – Speakers Corner Records 

by Audiophile Audition | Jun 28, 2018 | Jazz CD Reviews

A country guitar legend records in Hollywood and enhances his legacy. Chet Atkins – Chet Atkins In Hollywood – RCA Victor LSP-1993 (1959/1961)/Speakers Corner Records (2016), 180-gram stereo vinyl 35:47 ****1/2: (Chet Atkins – guitar; Howard Roberts – guitar; Jethro Burns – mandolin; Clifford Hill – bass; George Callender – bass; Larry Bunker – drums; Jack Sperling – drums; with Dennis Farnon and His Orchestra) Chet Atkins was a transcendent country music star. He worked his way up through the traditional country scene as a guitarist. He also played mandolin, fiddle banjo and ukulele. The list of artists he backed was extensive, including Hank Snow, The Carter Family, and Red Foley. Atkins was known for popularizing the Merle Travis guitar technique, using the thumb and two or three finger to pick. As a “hired hand” Atkins was good enough to be inducted into the Grand Old Opry in the 50’s. But Atkins’ musical legacy may have been defined by his work as a producer. Along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, Chet Atkins helped to define the Nashville sound, reducing fiddle and banjo instrumentation and injecting more dynamic sound mixes. Atkins won 14 Grammys and 9 Country Music Awards. He […]