Atkins, Chet

"Once you become predictable, no one's interested anymore," Chet Atkins surmised. Throughout his singular career, "Mister Guitar" kept fans around the world intrigued by being anything but predictable. He developed his unique right-hand thumb-and-three-finger picking style after hearing Merle Travis on Cincinnati's WLW-AM and trying to figure out how one player could make all that music by himself. Blending elements of jazz with his country roots, Atkins' fretboard acumen soon became the benchmark by which all other guitarists measured their craft. Need proof? Check any early Beatles album and you'll hear Chet's style ringing through George Harrison's licks, an influence Harrison joyfully acknowledged. Combine the number of guitarists influenced directly by Atkins with those inspired by his acolytes and you begin to understand the enormous impact Atkins has had on everyone who has picked up the instrument in his wake.

A relentless perfectionist, Atkins typically took home his session tapes and worked (and reworked) his solos in his home studio until he was satisfied with the results. This audio woodshedding left hours of music in the RCA Victor tape archives, unheard by the public. Until now. This Sundazed Extended Play release unearths three originally unissued recordings from the vaults and a fourth recording that'saw release only on a budget album many decades ago. About his legacy, Atkins reflected, "Years from now, after I'm gone, someone will listen to what I've done and know I was here. They may not know or care who I was, but they'll hear my guitars speaking for me." And what a beautiful conversation it is.