The last big stink on this subject came a few years ago in a Dwight Yokum interview. He basically said that Atkins was the reason why country music sounded so bland and had lost it's twang. Hmmmm??? I think that Yokum (and others) might not really remember what was going on in the late 50s and early 60s. Rock and roll started to take over the charts and the status quo was totally upended. Billboard charts and radio playlists up until the early 60s were a thing of wonder by today's standards. ALL the recorded material was lumped together and sloshed out by DJs. Montovanni and Lawrence Welk were right there on the charts with Elvis and Chuck Berry and their records were played together on the same shows. Country music had such a small section of the overall music business in terms of airplay/record sales. Country songs gained exposure from the more popular artist covering them than from the original artist who did them. Singers like Tony Bennet, Frankie Laine,Doris Day, etc. would take the "twangy" country songs of Hank Williams and add a violin section,smooth out everything and the record company would sell about a million times the amount of the country artist. You can see that this idea did NOT begin with Chet Atkins.

Flash forward a few more years to 1964. Anybody here remember when the Beatles came to America??? If you don't, then you have no idea whatsoever the intensity of what they did to the record/music scene here in America. Jazz artists, classical artists, easy listening artists, and yes-COUNTRY artists lost whatever positions they had in the recording world. Top 40 radio played virtually NONE of their records anymore.

So now you have Chet Atkins-VP of RCA Nashville which had become quite a nice part of RCA's revenue picture in a very uneviable position. So he takes his artist like Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves, Skeeter Davis, etc. and presented them in the same kinds of violin laden settings that had been done by cover versions earlier. Most of these artist were not "twang" artist anyway and actually benefited from this. What Atkins did was circle the wagons at RCA and actually continue to sell records by aiming at your parents instead of the kids who did not give a hoot about country music.

I did a search of the country charts from 59' to 65'. You might be surprised to see that there was PLENTY of hard core "twang" artist represented along with the new "Nashville Sound" artist.

I personally think that what Atkins did kept the country music recording scene alive through the 60s and 70s.

Of course, that might be the one disservice to country music for which Chet was unknowingly responsible.

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Rick Richtmyer
Good News

[This message was edited by RickRichtmyer on 06 October 2000 at 07:49 AM.]

Rock and roll really defined the categorization, and radio stations started using "format marketing." This ushered in the era of shrinking playlists, which continues to this day. Many of you no doubt remember "Hot 100" playlists, and DJ's could play almost anything they wanted if they felt a new artist or song was worthy of public attention. Now we basically hear nothing but the same 25 songs over and over again, determined by a group of marketing analysts in an unmarked office building in a city far, far away.

Fortunately for us, the current 25 songs have Paul, Dan, Sonny, and Bruce all over them. I hope the trend stays that way for awhile.

As to who "destroyed" country music, here's another take on it. Musicians most often are influenced by the popular music they heard as teenagers. If you grew up in the 50's and 60's, as did I, you heard Ernest Tubb, Ray Price, Bob Wills, and guys like that. But guys 10-15 years younger than me, in the 1970's South, heard bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers, and other Southern Rock bands. So to incorporate that sound into playing "country" music of today is not so far a stretch. These would now be musicians in their 40's. Guys in their 30's would be influenced by the popular rock music of the 80's, and that shows their particular flavor of country... or whatever you want to call it.. music they play.

It's simply a cultural thing. The days of the family sitting around one radio listening to one station and one format went away a long time ago, and this current music reflects the cultural influences we, and our children, have been exposed to. Get over it, and buy the new CD's by Cornell Hurd, Johnny Bush, Dale Watson, and the Derailers.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Homesite

[This message was edited by Herb Steiner on 06 October 2000 at 09:57 AM.]

After making the determination to myself that Chet Atkins did not "ruin" country music. I have put in some thinking as to what has happened to the country music scene as we now know it.

I have come to the conclusion that rap music may be one of the reasons for the demise of country music. That is of course if you actually are of the opinion that anything is wrong with country. Some people might just be happy with the country scene the way it is. To each his own. Anyway, I noticed when rap music became popular on top 40 playlists several years ago, a HUGE section of younger listeners bailed out of top 40 radio. The only place they had to go was to country. The Nashville moguls started to chase after the young audience, cut their ties with the established hard country artists and never looked back.

What they have in essence done is shifted the same incumberances of top forty rock onto the country market. In the past, a country artist would have a LONG career of recording. The fan base would stay with them for 5,10, 20 years or more. Now the longevity of artist is so much shorter. Younger listeners vasilate from fad to fad just like they did in the rock market. If you think the choreagraphy on the country music award shows was not needed--you just wait. You are going to see country artists with all sorts of gimmicks just like rock artists. Record companies can only churn out new flavors of the week, throw them up against the wall and see what sticks.

The "nail in the coffin" trend that I am looking for next will be the artists and Nashville record companies trying to disassociate themselves with the country "stigma" altogether. They live under the umbrella of "Country" but try their best to make the music cross over into the top 40 rock market. Sad.

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kd...and the beat goes on...

Chet does not hate fiddles. He played a fiddle tune (ON THE FIDDLE!!!) on the concert I did with him and not too shabbily. As far as the steel is concerned, you need to check out the Emmons web site. Picture of old Chet there with BE. Several Chet records with the steel guitar featured.

Now as far as George Benson compared to Atkins and kissing butt----well if you ONLY compare in a jazz vein then yeah Benson rules. If you stack up recording technique,tone,phrasing,styles etc. Benson does not stand a chance.
Benson ever record with Elvis??? THAT makes him a pawn compared to Atkins. ;-) And what is with all that cosmetic surgery George has had------he be toooooooo pretty!!!! He also has not put out a decent jazz offering since that "Breezin" record came out in 1976. I used to go see him in the early 70s at a jazz club here in Atlanta. $2 to get in and the place was less than half full. I was playing at the Merchandise Mart the other night and Benson was up one level playing in a ballroom for a bunch of female conventioneers. NOT ANY jazz coming from George. Bunch of LA/R@B disco junk as far as I was concerned. Benson sold out a long time ago.
He's toast, with pockets so deep you wouldn't believe it!

Forget about piting player against player. That's apples and oranges. I have Benson recordings and Atkins recordings going back to the beginning of their careers. Some spectacular things from both. Some cheesy stuff too.

Stravinsky said "competition is for horses, not musicians".

I have over 100 vinyl LPs of his.

He was also very open minded about music, and shared his spotlight albums with jazz, rock, and country players.

You'll never hear a top musician with anything bad to say about him.

As a businessman, at RCA, he did what was necessary to sell records. His true music showed thru on his own albums, which were not (usually) as popular as the pop-country stuff he produced.

God bless Chet!!!

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j0e

Buddy Emmons-Steel Guitar

Chet Atkins-Regular Guitar

Yasha Heifitz-Violin

Luciano Pavorotti-tenor

All the above are the greatest there ever has been, IS, or ever will be. There technical ability (as awesome as it is), is far far exceeded by their talents as a musician.

They hear things that 99% of players of any instrument will never hear. Lessor gifted, but still great musicians, could practice a million years and still never exhibit what these musicians bring forth effortlessy.

They are truly absolute when it comes to being a musician first and a player/singer second.

IMHO!

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Have a good 'un! JH U-12

What can you do but smile and walk away.
You can not force musical maturity.
It will hopefully develop on it's own, or the person will quit and say they were never given a fair chance.

One of the problems the future of PSG has is too many are trying to be Emmons clones. Yes he played 4WD great (so does Herby,and many more), but it's been done.

Ghost of Curly

[This message was edited by rayman on 11 October 2000 at 07:54 PM.]

Terry Williams, you are also a Friend of mine and I don't want to see Some uninformed Wannabee run you off the Forum.

Rayman, What The Hell are you smoking?

As Earl said, in behalf of all Guitar Players, Musicians and Chet Atkins Fans, Worldwide, you can also Kiss my Redneck Tarheel A$$.

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Sj

[This message was edited by Sleepy John on 11 October 2000 at 08:05 PM.]

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Have a good 'un! JH U-12

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kd...and the beat goes on...