category: instrumental country / classical / easy listening

Album review:
Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee.In addition to his legacy as a music producer, Chet Atkins may very well be the finest finger-style ("Travis picking") guitarist of all time. Certainly, Atkins was one of the most important guitar pioneers east of the Mississippi, and his arrival on the country music scene in the late 1940s sparked major changes in the way guitarists of all kinds would approach the instrument.

On this disc, which contains two full LPs from the '50s, Atkins is in his prime. Each tune on FINGER STYLE GUITAR and STRINGIN' ALONG WITH CHET ATKINS swings gently, and his articulate six-string sweeps reveal his technical prowess. In the following decades, legions of guitarists copied Atkins's riffs, so it's easy to overlook the original impact of these albums, recorded in an era when this now-common style was just being invented. For this reason, these recordings stand out as beautiful historical documents of the guitar's evolution. Highlights include the tender "Unchained Melody," the classical "Govotte in D," and the jazzy "St. Louis Blues.

CD Track Listing

Finger Style Guitar
  1. Swedish Rhapsody (Hugo Alfven) (2:35)
  2. Liza (Kahn / George & Ira Gershwin) (2:46)
  3. In The Mood (Garland / Razaf) (2:18)
  4. Heartaches (Klenner / Hoffman) (2:07)
  5. Glow Worm (Lincke) (2:14)
  6. Dance Of The Goldenrod (Merle Travis) (2:02)
  7. Petite Waltz † (trad. arr. Chet Atkins) (2:50)
  8. Adelita † (F.Tarrega: arr. Gleb Yellin) (1:38)
  9. Gavotte In D † (Gossee) (1:42)
10. Unchained Melody (Zaret / North) (2:59)
11. Waltz In A-Flat † (Brahms) (1:51)
12. Malaguena † (Ernesto Lecuona) (2:48)

Stringin' Along with Chet Atkins
13. Oh, By Jingo! (Oh By Gee, You're The Only Girl For Me) (Brown / Von Tilzer) (1:53)
14. Indian Love Song [from the musical production "Rose Marie"] (Harbach / Hammerstein / Friml) (2:58)
15. Memphis Blues (W.C.Handy) (2:47)
16. 12th Street Rag * (E.L.Bowman) (2:19)
17. Gallopin' Guitar * (Chet Atkins) (2:29)
18. St. Louis Blues (W.C.Handy) (3:01)
19. Main Street Breakdown * (Chet Atkins) (2:18)
20. Hello Ma Baby (Howard / Emerson) (2:35)
21. Alice Blue Gown (Tierney / McCarthy) (2:21)
22. Blue Gypsy † (Chet Atkins / Boudleaux Bryant) (2:58)
23. Black Mountain Rag † (Tommy Magness) (2:25)
24. The Third Man Theme (from the film "The 3rd Man") † (Anton Karas) (3:05)

  † Chet: solo guitar
  * Homer Haynes (rhythm guitar) & Jethro Burns (mandolin)

Total timing: 59:09

Label/No: One Way 35128

Release date: (c)1955, (c)1956, 1998 reissue