category: instrumental country / blues / jazz / easy listening

Chet Atkins' early styles have long been sought after, as many believe the early fifties to be his most exciting period as an artist. This set demonstrates his guitar stylings that influenced more rock'n'roll and '50's country pickers than any other artist. His inventive and formidable technique met on those vibrant early recordings that impressed not only fellow guitarists, but also a wide public with their flair and variety. All here, from the first 78 rpm masters, through the confident recordings found on Chet's 10" albums, up to his first RCA long play album A SESSION WITH CHET ATKINS. Included is a 44-page book with an excellent biography and comprehensive discography with many rare pictures.

CD Track Listing

Disc 1
  1. Guitar Blues (Chet Atkins) (2:50)
  2. Brown Eyes A'Cryin' In The Rain (w/Jack Shook: vocal) (Fowler / Kinsey) (2:49)
  3. Ain'tcha Tired Of Makin' Me Blue (Chet: vocal) (Jenny Lou Carson) (2:45)
  4. I'm Gonna Get Tight (Chet: vocal) (Jerry Irby) (2:55)
  5. Canned Heat (Chet Atkins) (2:35)
  6. Standing Room Only (Chet: vocal) (Coben / Grean) (2:54)
  7. Don't Hand Me That Line (Chet: vocal) (Kregal / Turner) (2:37)
  8. Bug Dance (Chet Atkins) (2:57)
  9. (I Know My Baby Loves Me) In Her Own Peculiar Way (Chet: vocal) (Shepard / Canton) (2:27)
10. The Nashville Jump (Chet Atkins / Lowell Tennis) (2:32)
11. My Guitar Is My Sweetheart (Chet: vocal) (Rhodes / Bargnesi) (2:40)
12. I'm Pickin' The Blues (Chet: vocal) (Chet Atkins / Jimmy Atkins) (2:50)
13. Gone, Gone, Gone (Chet: vocal) (Chet Atkins) (2:40)
14. Barnyard Shuffle (Chet Atkins) (2:52)
15. Save Your Money (Chet: vocal) (Chet Atkins / Jim Atkins) (2:34)
16. (I May Be Color Blind But) I Know When I'm Blue (Chet: vocal) (Chet Atkins) (2:33)
17. I've Been Working On The Guitar (trad. arr. Chet Atkins) (2:30)
18. Dizzy Strings (Chet Atkins) (2:45)
19. Money, Marbles & Chalk (Chet: vocal) * (Pop Eckler) (2:54)
20. Wednesday Night Waltz (Chet & Billie Rose Atkins: vocals) * (Spencer Williams) (2:32)
21. Guitar Waltz (Chet & Billie Rose Atkins: vocals) * (Zeke Clements) (3:04)
22. Telling My Troubles To My Old Guitar (Chet: vocal) * (Don Weston) (2:46)
23. Dance Of The Goldenrod * (John H. Tower) (2:41)
24. Galloping On The Guitar * (Chet Atkins) (2:29)
25. Barber Shop Rag * (Chet Atkins) (2:50)
26. Centipede Boogie * (Chet Atkins) (2:38)
Total timing: 70:50

Disc 2
  1. Under The Hickory Nut Tree (Chet w/Helen & Anita Carter: vocals) * (Anita, Helen, June Carter) (2:58)
  2. I Was Bitten By The Same Bug Twice (Chet w/Helen & Anita Carter: vocals) * (Helen Carter) (2:31)
  3. One More Chance (Chet w/Helen & Anita Carter: vocals) * (Taylor / Rogers) (2:49)
  4. The Old Buck Dance (Chet w/Homer & Jethro: vocals) * (Chet Atkins) (2:27)
  5. Boogie Man Boogie * (Chet Atkins) (2:49)
  6. Main Street Breakdown * (Chet Atkins) (2:18)
  7. Confusin' (Chet & Billie Rose Atkins: vocals) (Louis Innis) (2:14)
  8. Music In My Heart (Chet & Billie Rose Atkins: vocals) (Helen Carter) (2:17)
  9. Indian Love Call (Harbach / Hammerstein) (2:39)
10. Birth Of The Blues (Desylva / Brown / Henderson) (2:33)
11. Mountain Melody (Chet Atkins) (2:10)
12. You're Always Brand New (w/Danny Dill: vocals) (Stuart Hamblen) (2:39))
13. My Crazy Heart (w/Danny Dill: vocals) (Helen Carter / Chet Atkins) (2:41)
14. Hybrid Corn (trad. arr. Chet Atkins) (2:15)
15. Jitterbug Waltz (Fats Waller) (2:37)
16. One Man Boogie (Take H) (Chet Atkins) (2:40)
17. Crazy Rhythm (take F) (instrumental version) (Caesar / Meyer / Kahn) (2:25) (Caesar / Meyer / Kahn) (2:25)
18. Crazy Rhythm (take B) (w/Beaver Valley Sweethearts: vocal refrain) (Caesar / Meyer / Kahn) (2:23)
19. Rustic Dance (composer unkown) (2:06)
20. Rainbow (Bryan / Wenrich) (2:38)
21. In The Mood (Razaf / Garland) (2:29)
22. Spanish Fandango (trad. arr. Chet Atkins) (2:40)
23. Midnight (w/The Beasley Singers: vocal chorus) (Boudleaux Bryant / Chet Atkins) (2:53)
24. Good-Bye Blues (w/The Beasley Singers: vocal chorus) (McHugh / Fields / Johnson) (2:29)
25. Your Mean Little Heart (w/The Beasley Singers: vocal chorus) (Boudleaux Bryant) (2:33)
26. Sweet Bunch Of Daisies (w/The Beasley Singers: vocal chorus) (Boudleaux Bryant / Chet Atkins) (2:05)
27. Blue Gypsy (Boudleaux Bryant / Chet Atkins) (2:19)
28. The 3rd Man Theme (Anton Karas) (2:26)
29. One Man Boogie (Take D) (Chet Atkins) (2:38)
Total timing: 72:56

Disc 3
  1. St. Louis Blues (W.C.Handy) (2:17)
  2. Nobody's Sweetheart (Schoebel / Erdman / Kahn / Meyers) (2:16)
  3. Lover Come Back To Me (Sigmund Romberg) (2:26)
  4. Stephen Foster Medley (trad. arr. Chet Atkins) (2:26)
  5. Hangover Blues (Boudleaux Bryant / Chet Atkins) (2:36)
  6. Imagination (Chet Atkins) (2:13)
  7. Black Mountain Rag (Tommy Magness) (2:18)
  8. Guitar Polka (w/Rosalie Allen: vocal) (composer unkown) (2:06)
  9. Dream Train (w/Rosalie Allen: vocal) (composer unkown) (2:13)
10. Meet Mister Callaghan (Eric Spear) (2:42)
11. Chinatown, My Chinatown (Jerome / Schwartz) (2:01)
12. High Rockin' Swing * (Avants / Tennant) (2:20)
13. Fig Leaf Rag * (Chet Atkins / Boudleaux Bryant) (2:31)
14. Oh By Jingo! (Brown / Von Tilzer) (2:14)
15. Hello Ma Baby (Howard / Emerson) (2:09)
16. The Bells Of St. Mary's (Furber / Adams) (2:15)
17. Country Gentleman * (Boudleaux Bryant / Chet Atkins) (2:15)
18. Memphis Blues * (W.C.Handy) (2:11)
19. Alice Blue Gown * (Tierney / McCarthy) (2:06)
20. 12th Street Rag * (E.Bowman) (2:22)
21. Peeping Tom (previously unreleased) (Chet Atkins / Boudleaux Bryant) (2:22)
22. Three O'Clock In The Morning (Terriss / Robeldo) (2:19)
23. Georgia Camp Meeting (trad. arr. Chet Atkins) (2:14)
24. City Slicker (Chet Atkins) (2:23)
25. Dill Pickle Rag * (Johnson) (2:25)
26. Rubber Doll Rag * (Bud Landress) (2:15)
27. Beautiful Ohio (version 1) * (McDonald / Earl) (2:17)
28. Kentucky Derby (Chet Atkins / Boudleaux Bryant) (2:03)
29. Wildwood Flower (A.P.Carter) (2:13)
30. Guitars On Parade (Chet Atkins) (2:22)
31. Simple Simon (Chet Atkins) (2:11)
32. Rubber Doll Rag (alternate take) * (Bud Landress) (2:24)
Total timing: 73:39

Disc 4
  1. Get Up And Go (Chet: vocal) * (Mac McCarthy) (2:54)
  2. Pagan Love Song (Freed / Brown) (2:07)
  3. Beautiful Ohio (version 2) * (McDonald / Earl) (2:09)
  4. Downhill Drag * (Chet Atkins / Boudleaux Bryant) (2:23)
  5. Avalon * (Jolsen / DeSylva / Rose) (2:20)
  6. Sunrise Serenade * (Carle) (2:45)
  7. San Antonio Rose (Bob Wills) (2:29)
  8. Set A Spell (w/Red Kirk: vocal) (Chet Atkins / Louis Innis) (2:27)
  9. Mister Misery (w/Red Kirk & Louis Innis: vocals) (Chet Atkins / Louis Innis) (2:29)
10. Get Up And Go (w/Red Kirk: vocal) (Mac McCarthy) (2:53)
11. South (Moten / Hayes / Charles) (2:49)
12. Alabama Jubilee (Cobb / Yellen) (2:36)
13. Corrine, Corrina (Williams / Chatman / Parish) (2:20)
14. Indiana (Back Home Again In Indiana) (Henley / MacDonald) (3:22)
15. Red Wing (Mills / Chattaway) (2:27)
16. Frankie & Johnny (trad. arr. Chet Atkins) (2:35)
17. A Gay Ranchero (Tuvin / Luban / Espinosa) (2:34)
18. Ballin' The Jack (previously unissued) (Smith / Burris) (2:58)
19. Honeysuckle Rose (Fats Waller) (2:42)
20. Darktown Strutters Ball (guitar duet w/Hank Snow) (Shelton Brooks) (2:01)
21. The Old Spinning Wheel (guitar duet w/Hank Snow) (Billy Hill) (2:27)
22. Silver Bell (guitar duet w/Hank Snow) (Wenrich / Madden) (2:17)
23. Under The Double Eagle (guitar duet w/Hank Snow) (J.F.Wagner) (2:35)
24. The Birth Of The Blues (Desylva / Brown / Henderson) (3:23)
25. Have You Ever Been Lonely (Brown / De Rose) (2:43)
26. Caravan (Tizol / Ellington / Mills) (3:28)
27. Old Man River (Hammerstein / Kern) (2:35)
28. Mister Sandman (Pat Ballard) (2:17)
29. New Spanish Two-Step ('54 version) (Duncan / Wills) (2:09)
Total timing: 75:23

  * Homer Haynes (rhythm guitar) & Jethro Burns (mandolin)

Label/No: Bear Family Records BCD-15714 (German import)

Release date: (c)1947-54, 1993 reissue