If one were to
seek a single career which exemplifies the changes
country music has undergone during the past seven
decades, the life of Chet Atkins stands as an excellent
example.
When, as a child, Atkins first studied the music of
the south, country performance was essentially folk in
nature, characterized by the traditional sound of the
fiddle, banjo, and unamplified guitar. By the
time Chet achieved international recognition as a
musician and businessman, country music had become a
sophisticated popular art form, surrounded by all of
the legal, musical , and professional paraphernalia
which characterizes popular music in any era.
The manner in which Atkins's artistry and personality
altered and responded to the changing context of
country performance tells us much about an individual
career and also charts the course taken by country
music in its journey from rural folk music to
commercial art form.
Atkins's career is unique in a single respect:
Every stage in his development as a musician has been
matched by an increased impact on the business side of
country music. Chet has, thus, possessed an
opportunity afforded few artists, that of consistently
imposing his personal interpretation of country music
upon a major corporation (RCA Records) and upon many
country entertainers.
While the modern corporate context of commercial
music can sometimes make pawns of performers, Atkins
was always able to work effectively within the
business of music, and at times was able to dominate
an unwieldy corporate structure. His impact upon
country music, therefore, must be gauged within two
context; for his guitar stylings influenced
generations of performers, while his success as an
A&R director for RCA carried the influence of his
taste and personality into the realm of the music
business.
William
Ivey
-- Stars of Country Music
