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Music and memories of Chet Atkins: Ray Stevens, Steve Wariner, and Billy Edd Wheeler

Special Program

August 13, 2011
Ford Theater
Asked to sum up the best quality of Chet Atkins in a sentence, three of his close friends and musical colleagues-Steve Wariner, Billy Edd Wheeler, and Paul Yandell-deemed the task impossible, recounting his many talents as a world-renowned guitarist, record producer, and RCA label executive.

His longtime friend and associate Paul Yandell said, "There's not a guitar player worth his salt who doesn't play like Chet Atkins. He was a unique person. I always say some people should live forever, and Chet is one of them. He gave so much to the world."

Billy Edd Wheeler, another old friend and colleague of Atkins, recalled a quote from song plugger Bob Jennings: "I'm glad I was put on this earth at the same time as Chet Atkins."

The praise came during a tribute to Atkins as part of the opening-weekend festivities for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's new exhibition, Chet Atkins: Certified Guitar Player. The exhibit is made possible by the support of the Gretsch Company with additional support from the Great American Country Television Network. It is scheduled to run through June 2012.

At the start of the program, Merle Atkins Russell, the only child of Chet and Leona Atkins, made a special presentation. After attending an opening reception for the new exhibition earlier in the week, Russell said she went home and received a message from above, "if you know what I mean." She then announced that Paul Yandell would become the fifth and final person given her father's special "certified guitar player" designation.

Yandell, who toured with Chet Atkins as a member of his band for twenty-five years, thereby joined fellow finger-pickers Jerry Reed, John Knowles, Steve Wariner, and Tommy Emmanuel as special "C.G.P." honorees.

A Kentucky native, Yandell traded a calf to get the thirteen dollars needed to buy his first guitar. Two years later, in his mid-teens, Yandell heard Atkins play live on radio station WCKY from Cincinnati, Ohio. "I never was the same after that," he said.

Yandell started playing finger-style guitar, as Atkins did, and moved to Nashville in 1955. Yandell met Atkins that year, when the famous guitarist loaned him his guitar and amp at a WSM audition. Yandell didn't get any work from the audition, "but I didn't care. I got to play Chet's guitar. I had a high for about six years after that."

After working on the road with the Louvin Brothers, Kitty Wells, and Jerry Reed, Yandell joined forces with Atkins in 1975. He remained a touring partner and friend until Atkins's death in 2001. The following year, Yandell released the album Forever Chet. His 2004 album, Dream Train, featured a painting by Steve Wariner as its cover art. (As part of the program, the crowd heard Yandell's finger-picking style on a Dream Train cut, "My Friend," a Yandell original.)

As with Yandell, Wariner and Wheeler recalled how they met Chet and the immeasurable impact he had on their lives. Wariner's segment of the program opened with a video from a 1994 TV program, Read My Licks, which included an appearance by Wariner. Atkins introduced Wariner as his former bassist who he fired so he could record hits for RCA Records and "make more money." Wariner responded by telling Atkins, "You've always been my hero, you know that."

Wariner met Atkins in 1973 amid an RCA Cavalcade of Stars tour of the United Kingdom. At the time, Wariner played bass in singer Dottie West's band, and he met Atkins before a show at Wembley Stadium. The second meeting came in 1976 through Yandell, who had taken a tape of Wariner's demo recordings to Atkins. Wariner was signed by Atkins to RCA Records on June 30, 1977-twenty-four years before Atkins's death on June 30, 2001.

After signing Wariner, Atkins suggested another producer. But Wariner insisted on working with Atkins, RCA's most successful country music producer. "I was not happy to hear about another producer," Wariner said. "So he said, 'Well, let's go in and cut some tracks and see what happens.'"

Wariner's first Top Ten hit came in 1980 with "Your Memory," produced by Atkins. His self-titled 1982 album included two more Top Ten hits, including his first #1, "All Roads Lead to You." It was the start of a long career for Wariner, who in 2010 won his fourth Grammy Award, this one for Best Country Instrumental Performance for the song "Producer's Medley" from the album, My Tribute to Chet Atkins.

"He is the reason I'm sitting here now," Wariner said of Atkins. "He gave me the chance to make records and to do what I do. I always love to acknowledge that when I have the opportunity."

Atkins shied away from responding to accolades, Wariner said. Wheeler followed up by providing an example of Atkins's humility. Wheeler and Atkins had been writing songs together, and during a meeting at Atkins's office, Wheeler mentioned he had tried to call his friend the previous day. "Well, I was at the White House," Atkins said nonchalantly. Wheeler laughed, saying, "If it had been me, I'd have said, 'Hey, did you know I was at the White House?' But that shows how modest he was. He never would have bragged on himself."

Wheeler, writer of the country hits "Jackson" and "Coward of the County," met Atkins in 1964. At the time, Wheeler wrote for the New York publishing company run by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who sent the young songwriter to Nashville. The trip included a meeting with Chet Atkins at his RCA office. "I went in, and I was shaking inside, because here's Mr. Guitar, Mr. RCA, Mr. Music Business as far as I was concerned," Wheeler said.

Among the songs Wheeler played for Atkins was "Blue Roses," which led to Hank Snow cutting the song for an RCA release. The two later wrote songs together, leading to a 1995 Wheeler album, Songs I Wrote with Chet. "It took us a long time to become friends, and I think humor was what did it," Wheeler said. "Chet had a way of getting people together at the end of the day-people like Norro Wilson and Jerry Reed and Howard White, people who loved humor. And then golf helped a lot."

Wariner and Wheeler performed solo during the program, and Wheeler read his poem, "Chet Atkins, C.G.P.," from his 1977 book, Travis and Other Poems of the Swannanoa Valley.  "Your fingers tell the story," started one passage in the poem. But as his three friends made clear, the Atkins story only begins with his guitar prowess, which is the part of his story that will live forever on his legendary recordings. The other aspects-especially the character of a man known for his humility and humor-live on in the memories and stories of those who knew him.

-Michael McCall