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
