Editing Chet Atkins (section)

===Early musical career===
After dropping out of high school in 1942, Atkins landed a job at [[WNML (AM)|WNOX (AM)]] (now WNML) radio in [[Knoxville, Tennessee|Knoxville]], where he played fiddle and guitar with the singer [[Bill Carlisle]] and the comic [[Archie Campbell (comedian)|Archie Campbell]] and became a member of the station's Dixieland Swingsters, a small swing instrumental combo. After three years, he moved to [[WLW|WLW-AM]] in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]], where Merle Travis had formerly worked.

After six months, he moved to Raleigh and worked with [[Johnnie and Jack]] before heading for [[Richmond, Virginia]], where he performed with [[Sunshine Sue|Sunshine Sue Workman]]. Atkins's shy personality worked against him, as did the fact that his sophisticated style led many to doubt he was truly "country". He was fired often but was soon able to land another job at another radio station on account of his unique playing ability.<ref name="CG" />

Atkins and [[Jethro Burns]] (of [[Homer and Jethro]]) married twin sisters Leona and Lois Johnson, who sang as Laverne and Fern Johnson, the Johnson Sisters. Leona Atkins outlived her husband by eight years, dying in 2009 at the age of 85.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.countrystandardtime.com/news/newsitem.asp?xid=3389 |title=Chet Atkins' Widow Dies |date=October 22, 2009 |work=Country Standard Time |access-date=October 29, 2011}}</ref>

Travelling to Chicago, Atkins auditioned for [[Red Foley]], who was leaving his star position on [[WLS (AM)|WLS-AM]]'s ''[[National Barn Dance]]'' to join the [[Grand Ole Opry]].<ref name="RollingStone">[https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5931727/chet_atkins_dies/print "Chet Atkins Dies"]{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} ''Rolling Stone''. Accessed on March 28, 2008.</ref> Atkins made his first appearance at the Opry in 1946 as a member of Foley's band. He also recorded a single for Nashville-based [[Bullet Records]] that year. That single, "Guitar Blues", was fairly progressive, including a clarinet solo by the Nashville dance band musician Dutch McMillin and produced by Jim Bulleit, founder of Bullet Records. He had a solo spot on the Opry, but when that was cut, Atkins moved on to [[KWTO (AM)|KWTO]] in [[Springfield, Missouri]]. Despite the support of executive [[Si Siman]], however, he soon was fired for not sounding "country enough".<ref name="CG" />