When I was a kid, the surest sign that the Christmas season had begun in earnest was when I heard the first strains of Chet's 1961 album, "Christmas With Chet Atkins."
I didn't appreciate Chet's virtuosity at the time (after all, I was almost three years old!), but the ringing beauty of his guitar stuck with me. Now that I'm older I can really appreciate Chet's whole approach to producing and playing music. And man, could he play! The sweet, sad tones of his playing on "Blue Christmas" seem to be informed by pop, blues, jazz, and Western swing all at once. His facility with double and triple stop playing on this track is amazing. At times you almost mistake his Gibson guitar for a pedal steel. His phrasing starting at the 1:55 mark in this track still gives me goosebumps half a century later.
I eventually moved out of my parents' home and left Chet's 1961 album behind. But in the mid 80s, Chet released a new holiday album called "East Tennessee Christmas." I rushed out and bought it . . . and was bitterly disappointed. Chet's playing was fine and production was state of the art, but it just wasn't the same. That first Christmas album was a touchstone to my earliest happy memories of Christmas and wintertime and family gathered around. I think it influences the music I write today in subtle ways.
And it isn't just me. Chet's passion for making the guitar an expressive melodic instrument echoes down the years in players like Mark Knopfler, Jeff Beck, and innumerable others.
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