Editing Chet Atkins (section)

{{Short description|American country music guitarist (1924–2001)}}
{{Redirect|Chester Atkins|the former U.S. congressman|Chester G. Atkins}}
{{Redirect|Mr. Guitar|the album by Charlie Byrd|Mr. Guitar (album)|the album by Chet Atkins|Mister Guitar}}

{{Use American English|date=September 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Chet Atkins
| image             = Chet Atkins.jpg
| birth_name        = Chester Burton Atkins
| alias             = "Mister Guitar", "The Country Gentleman"
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1924|6|20}}
| birth_place       = [[Luttrell, Tennessee]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{death date and age|2001|6|30|1924|6|20}}
| death_place       = [[Nashville, Tennessee]], U.S.
| genre             = {{flatlist|
*[[Country music|Country]]
*[[Pop music|pop]]
*[[Rock music|rock]]
* [[jazz]]
* [[classical music|classical]]
*[[Folk music|folk]]
*[[rockabilly]]
*[[country rock]]}}
| occupation        = {{flatlist|
*Musician
*songwriter
*producer
}}
| instrument        = Guitar
| discography       = [[Chet Atkins discography]]
| years_active      = 1942–1996
| label             = [[RCA Victor]], [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| past_member_of    = {{hlist|The Country All-Stars|[[Arthur Fiedler]]|[[Les Paul]]|[[Jerry Reed]]|[[Hank Snow]]|[[Merle Travis]]|[[The Carter Sisters]]|[[Mark Knopfler]]|[[Tommy Emmanuel]]|Jim Carney}}
| website           = {{URL|misterguitar.com}}
}}

'''Chester Burton Atkins''' (June 20, 1924&nbsp;– June 30, 2001), also known as "'''Mister Guitar'''"  and "'''the Country Gentleman'''", was an American musician who, along with [[Owen Bradley]] and [[Bob Ferguson (musician)|Bob Ferguson]], helped create the [[Nashville sound]], the [[country music]] style which expanded its appeal to adult pop music fans. He was primarily a guitarist, but he also played the mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and ukulele, and occasionally sang.

Atkins's signature picking style was inspired by [[Merle Travis]]. Other major guitar influences were [[Django Reinhardt]], [[George Barnes (musician)|George Barnes]], [[Les Paul]], and, later, [[Jerry Reed]].<ref name=pc10/> His distinctive picking style and musicianship brought him admirers inside and outside the country scene, both in the United States and abroad. Atkins spent most of his career at [[RCA Victor]] and produced records for [[The Browns|the Browns]], [[Hank Snow]], [[Porter Wagoner]], [[Norma Jean (singer)|Norma Jean]], [[Dolly Parton]], [[Dottie West]], [[Perry Como]], [[Floyd Cramer]], [[Elvis Presley]], the [[Everly Brothers]], [[Eddy Arnold]], [[Don Gibson]], [[Jim Reeves]], [[Jerry Reed]], [[Skeeter Davis]], [[Waylon Jennings]], [[Roger Whittaker]], [[Ann-Margret]] and many others.

''[[Rolling Stone]]'' credited Atkins with inventing the "popwise 'Nashville sound' that rescued country music from a commercial slump" and ranked him number 21 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".<ref name="Chet Atkins">[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123/chet-atkins-20111122 "Chet Atkins"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827202538/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123/chet-atkins-20111122 |date=August 27, 2017 }}. ''Rolling Stone''.</ref> In 2023, Atkins was named the 39th best guitarist of all time.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2023-10-13 |title=The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-guitarists-1234814010/ |access-date=2023-10-14 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> Among many other honors, Atkins received 14 [[Grammy Award]]s and the [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]]. He also received nine [[Country Music Association]] awards for Instrumentalist of the Year. He was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]], the [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]], and the [[Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum]].