The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is paying tribute to one of country music’s most versatile and visionary artists, Chet Atkins, with Chet Atkins: Certified Guitar Player, a biographical exhibit which opened August 12, 2011 and runs through June 11, 2012 in the Museum’s East Gallery.
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Schedule of Upcoming Special Programs: (All times are Central and subject to change)
*Sunday, February 19, 1:00 p.m. CST, Thumbstyle Guitar Demonstration: Jack Pearson
Jack Pearson is a versatile guitarist who can demonstrate a variety of techniques. A personal friend of Chet Atkins, Pearson is a gifted fingerstyle player. He performed regularly with the Allman Brothers Band throughout the 1990s. His session and touring credits also include work with Rodney Atkins, Jimmy Buffett, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Delbert McClinton, Ronnie Milsap, Lee Roy Parnell, Lee Ann Womack, and others.
*Sunday, February 26, 2:00 p.m. CST, Film Screening: Chet Atkins: A Life in Music (2000)
“To me, Chet Atkins is the guy in Nashville who did more good for more pickers, more artists, than any other human being,” said Willie Nelson in the documentary Chet Atkins: A Life in Music (2000). Nelson offers memories of Atkins, alongside some of Mr. Guitar’s closest friends, peers, and disciples, including Eddy Arnold, George Benson, June Carter Cash, Tommy Emmanuel, Don Everly, Peter Frampton, Waylon Jennings, Mark Knopfler, Dolly Parton, and Les Paul. Atkins is also interviewed and narrates much of his own story. 45 minutes.
*Friday, March 2, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CST, Chet Atkins and the Instruments of Country Music
This workshop will focus on lessons learned from Chet Atkins’s incredible life, and on the instruments behind country music’s sound. A Tennessee native, Atkins rose from an impoverished and sickly childhood to become one of the world’s greatest guitar players and one of country music´s best record producers. The workshop will include sessions by an Chet Atkins expert and a fingerstyle guitar specialist, as well as a guided tour of historic RCA Studio B. Museum educators will highlight lessons from the Chet Atkins teacher’s guide, and the Shapes, Sound Holes & Strings and RCA Studio B curricula.
To register or for more information, please contact School Programs Manager, Nathalie Lavine, at 615-416-2088 or nlavine@countrymusichalloffame.org.
Past Program Videos/Photos:
Photos from the October 1 concert in salute of Chet by Joe Robinson and Pat Bergeson can be viewed here.
The August 27 concert by Tommy Emmanuel, C.G.P., in salute of Chet Atkins can be viewed online along with photos from the concert.
A video of the August 13 standing-room-only panel discussion with Steve Wariner, C.G.P.; Billy Edd Wheeler; and Paul Yandell, C.G.P., can be viewed here.
Check out photos from the August 10 Opening Reception here.
Tags: Certified Guitar Player, Chet Atkins, Gretsch, Gretsch Guitars