Chet Atkins: How He Got Started- plus Advice

Here’s an interview by Chet Atkins, who says he started on the ukulele of all things!

Living in the mountains wasn’t easy…
“There’s no money around in those days don’t ya know,” Chet says, referring to what he had to go through to makeshift some fingerpicks..

Chet then starts talking about the ‘making of sides” and I’m sure most of you will not know what he’s talking about. Sides is a term that I heard from some of the older veterans in the Nashville recording community which simply means “songs.”

I’m not entirely sure what the purpose of this interview was,  since Chet changes gears and starts talking about some of the early pioneers of the guitar- giving credit to Kennedy Jones for the style of guitar that he played.  Ike Everly, Mose Reger he also makes reference to- and of course Merle Travis, his big inspiration that he heard on radio when he was 15.
Chet says that Merle  soon after learning of him, was drafted and,  never heard him again… “Thank God for that,” he says, as he would have had to go out and buy direct copies if he had heard him every day on the radio… because he admired him so much.

Blind Blake… “Great fingerpicker” back in the late 20’s- early 30’s-  Chet says that he may have influenced Kennedy Jones…

Another great influence on Chet was Django Reinhardt.

Chet does mention a few other guitarist that he admires which includes Jerry Reed and Lenny Breau.

There’s more here including how he made it in the music business, and say’s it wasn’t that easy,,, (he got fired often at first for being so different and playing jazz).

Chet is just so humble…. there’s a lot to get out of this interview, even if you don’t play the guitar.