The Essential Chet Atkins [legacy]

Additional personnel: Jerry Reed, Lenny Breau, Les Paul, Mark Knopfler, Merle Travis. THE ESSENTIAL CHET ATKINS is a solid two-disc overview of one of country music's true pioneers. Chet Atkins, asan artist, session guitarist, and producer, is one of the key figures in countrymusic, the man most responsible for the development of the pop-oriented "countrypolitan" sound in the 1960s. This 40-track anthology covers all of Atkins's career and includes such canonical Atkins favorites as "Guitar Blues (Pickin' the Blues)" and "Country Gentleman, " which provided the guitarist with his nickname. The set also includes comparative rarities such as a collaboration with Mother Maybelle Carter on the old folk standard "Root Hog Or Die" and the late-1950s stabat rock & roll, "Teen Scene. " This is anideal starting point for novices. Reviews: Dirty Linen (p. 76) - "THE ESSENTIAL CHETATKINS showcases his considerable skillson the guitar. . . . The dynamic duo of ChetAtkins and Les Paul is a formidable six-string powerhouse if ever there was one. "

Track Listing

• Disc 1
• • 1 guitar blues (pickin' the blues)
  • 2 bug dance
  • 3 dizzy strings
  • 4 centipede boogie
  • 5 mainstreet breakdown
  • 6 root, hog or die
  • 7 jitterbug waltz
  • 8 the third man theme
  • 9 black mountain rag
  • 10 country gentleman
  • 11 city slicker
  • 12 mister sandman
  • 13 the poor people of paris (jean's song)
  • 14 big d
  • 15 trambone
  • 16 should we tell him
  • 17 hidden charm
  • 18 oh lonesome me
  • 19 i'm forever blowing bubbles
  • 20 slinkey
• Disc 2
• • 1 boo boo stick beat
  • 2 hot mocking bird
  • 3 the slop
  • 4 man of mystery
  • 5 wheels
  • 6 teen scene
  • 7 freight train
  • 8 satan's doll
  • 9 yakety axe
  • 10 a taste of honey
  • 11 drive in
  • 12 get on with it
  • 13 cannonball rag
  • 14 take five
  • 15 is anything better than this
  • 16 it's been a long, long time
  • 17 polka dots and moonbeams
  • 18 poor boy blues
  • 19 sneakin' around
  • 20 big foot