Another legendary great passes. I loved how his distinctive style could
mesh beautifully with so many other artists and had recently been enjoying
the album he did with Mark Knopfler. Kakki
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Chet Atkins, whose guitar style influenced a
generation of rock musicians even as he helped develop an easygoing country
style to compete with it, died Saturday. He was 77.
Atkins died at home, a funeral director said.
Atkins had battled cancer several years. He underwent surgery to remove a
brain tumor in June 1997, and had a bout with colon cancer in the 1970s.
Atkins recorded more than 75 albums of guitar instrumentals and sold more
than 75 million albums. He played on hundreds of hit records, including
those of Elvis Presley (``Heartbreak Hotel''), Hank Williams Sr. ("Your
Cheatin' Heart,'' ``Jambalaya'') and The Everly Brothers ("Wake Up Little
Susie'').
As an executive with RCA Records for nearly two decades beginning in 1957,
Atkins played a part in the careers of Roy Orbison, Jim Reeves, Charley
Pride, Dolly Parton, Jerry Reed, Waylon Jennings, Eddy Arnold and many
others.
Atkins helped craft the lush Nashville Sound, using string sections and lots
of echo to make records that appealed to older listeners not interested in
rock music. Among his notable productions are ``The End of the World'' by
Skeeter Davis and ``He'll Have to Go'' by Reeves.
``I realized that what I liked, the public would like, too,'' Atkins said in
a 1996 interview with The Associated Press. '``Cause I'm kind of square.''
