In memory of one of the best guitar pickers of all time. Chet passed away of cancer today, at the age of 77. He had recorded more than 75 albums of guitar music, selling more than 75 million albums.

Biography of Chet Atkins

Chet on Prairie Home Companion

Sorry to hear that. We saw that on the new today & I told Mike he passed away on your 50th birthday...

I once read a book about Scotty Moore, who was Elvis's first guitarist. When RCA signed Elvis, they had Chet Atkins show up at the first recording session, as RCA didn't know who Scotty Moore was. When they started to play & Atkins saw that Elvis already had a good guitarist, Atkins himself didn't play much at the session, only adding something here or there where he thought it was needed. To me, that's the mark of a great guitarist; they know as much about what NOT to play as what to play.

"I heard the news today...oh boy..."

Chet Atkins was amazing. He shall be missed, but always remembered.

A Eulogy for Chet Atkins
As delivered by Garrison Keillor at Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, July 3, 2001
http://phc.mpr.org/chet_eulogy.shtml