The Essential Chet Atkins is a two-disc compilation recording by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 guitarist Chet Atkins

Chet Atkins

Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...

, released in 2007 on the Legacy label.

History

The 40 tracks span Atkins' career from "Chet Atkins and the All-Star Hillbillies" ("Guitar Blues") released on Bullet Records to his last solo album Almost Alone ("Big Foot"). The selections include not only Chet's solo recordings and his duets with other guitar players, but also include songs he contribued to as a sideman. Songs with Maybelle Carter

Maybelle Carter

"Mother" Maybelle Carter was an American country musician. She is best known as a member of the historic Carter Family act in the 1920s and 1930s and also as a member of Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters.-Biography:...

 and The Carter Sisters

The Carter Sisters

The Carter Sisters, were an American singing quartet consisting of Maybelle Carter and her daughters June Carter Cash, Helen Carter, and Anita Carter...

, Eddy Arnold

Eddy Arnold

Richard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more...

, The Everly Brothers

The Everly Brothers

The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...

, Don Gibson

Don Gibson

Donald Eugene "Don" Gibson was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson penned such country standards as "Sweet Dreams" and "I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjoyed a string of country hits from 1957 into the early 1970s.-Biography:Don Gibson was...

 are represented in this collection. Duets include Jerry Reed

Jerry Reed

Jerry Reed Hubbard , known professionally as Jerry Reed, was an American country music singer, innovative guitarist, songwriter, and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films...

, Merle Travis

Merle Travis

Merle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...

, Lenny Breau

Lenny Breau

Leonard Harold "Lenny" Breau was a musician, guitar player, and music educator. He was known for blending many styles of music including: jazz, country, classical and flamenco guitar...

, Les Paul

Les Paul

Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...

 and Mark Knopfler

Mark Knopfler

Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...

. This marked the first licensed US release of "Guitar Blues."

Reception

Allmusic stated: "It might not be the ultimate Atkins compilation, given the sheer quantity of material the guitarist recorded. But it's a good — and, more crucially, very listenable — starting point for surveying his work as a solo artist."

Track listing

1. "Guitar Blues (Pickin' the Blues)" (Atkins) – 2:50
2. "Bug Dance" (Atkins) – 2:56
3. "Dizzy Strings" (Atkins) – 2:43
4. "Centipede Boogie" (Atkins) – 2:41
5. "Mainstreet Breakdown" (Atkins) – 2:17
6. "Root, Hog or Die" (Carter, Foree) – 2:33
7. "Jitterbug Waltz" (Fats Waller
   Fats Waller
   Fats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...
   
   ) – 2:37
8. "Third Man Theme" (Anton Karas
   Anton Karas
   Anton Karas was a Viennese zither player, best known for his soundtrack to Carol Reed's The Third Man.-Early life:...
   
   ) – 2:25
9. "Black Mountain Rag" (Magness) – 2:16
10. "Country Gentleman" (Atkins, Boudleaux Bryant
    Felice and Boudleaux Bryant
    Felice Bryant and Boudleaux Bryant were an American husband-and-wife country music and pop songwriting team best known for songs such as "Rocky Top," "Love Hurts" and numerous Everly Brothers hits, including "All I Have to Do Is Dream" and "Bye Bye Love".-Beginnings:Boudleaux was born Diadorius...
    
    ) – 2:15
11. "City Slicker" (Atkins) – 2:21
12. "Mister Sandman" (Pat Ballard
    Pat Ballard
    Pat Ballard born Francis Drake Ballard was an American songwriter.He composed "Mr. Sandman" and " I Get So Lonely".-References:...
    
    ) – 2:17
13. "The Poor People of Paris
    The Poor People of Paris
    "The Poor People of Paris" is a popular song, with "Paris" being pronounced as "pa-REE".It was adapted by Jack Lawrence in 1954 from the French language song "La goualante du pauvre Jean"...
    
     (Jean's Song)" (Rene Rouzaud, Marguerite Monnot
    Marguerite Monnot
    Marguerite Monnot was a French songwriter and composer best known for having written many of the songs performed by Édith Piaf and for the music in the stage musical Irma La Douce....
    
    ) – 1:59
14. "Big D" (Frank Loesser
    Frank Loesser
    Frank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the lyrics and scores to the Broadway hits Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for...
    
    ) – 2:17
15. "Trambone" (Atkins) – 2:13
16. "Should We Tell Him" (Phil Everly, Don Everly
    The Everly Brothers
    The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
    
    ) – 2:08
17. "Hidden Charm" (Rich) – 2:31
18. "Oh Lonesome Me" (Don Gibson
    Don Gibson
    Donald Eugene "Don" Gibson was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson penned such country standards as "Sweet Dreams" and "I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjoyed a string of country hits from 1957 into the early 1970s.-Biography:Don Gibson was...
    
    ) – 2:34
19. "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" (Brockman, Kellette, Kennedy) – 1:36
20. "Slinkey" (Atkins) – 2:01
21. "Boo Boo Stick Beat" (Buddy Harman
    Buddy Harman
    Buddy Harman was an American session musician.-Career:Born in Nashville, Tennessee, he played drums on over 18,000 sessions for artists such as Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Brenda Lee, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Roy Orbison, Connie Francis, Chet Atkins, Marty Robbins, Roger Miller,...
    
    , John D. Loudermilk
    John D. Loudermilk
    John D. Loudermilk is an American singer and songwriter.-Biography:Born in Durham, North Carolina, Loudermilk grew up in a family who were members of the Salvation Army faith and was influenced by the church singing. His cousins Ira and Charlie Loudermilk were known professionally as the Louvin...
    
    ) – 2:10
22. "Hot Mocking Bird" – 2:12
23. "The Slop" (Cogswell) – 2:18
24. "Man of Mystery" (Carr) – 2:05
25. "Wheels" (Petty) – 2:31
26. "Teen Scene" (Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed
    Jerry Reed
    Jerry Reed Hubbard , known professionally as Jerry Reed, was an American country music singer, innovative guitarist, songwriter, and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films...
    
    ) – 2:00
27. "Freight Train" (James, Williams) – 2:05
28. "Satan's Doll" (Smith) – 3:51
29. "Yakety Axe" (Boots Randolph
    Boots Randolph
    Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph III was an American musician best known for his 1963 saxophone hit, "Yakety Sax"...
    
    , Rich) – 2:06
30. "A Taste of Honey
    A Taste of Honey (song)
    "A Taste of Honey" is a pop standard written by Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow. It was originally an instrumental track written for the 1960 Broadway version of the 1958 British play A Taste of Honey . Both the original and a cover by Herb Alpert in 1965 earned the song Grammy Awards...
    
    " (Marlow, Scott) – 2:41
31. "Drive In" (Jerry Reed) – 2:20
32. "Get on with It" (Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed) – 2:11
33. "Cannonball Rag" (Merle Travis) – 2:14
34. "Take Five
    Take Five
    "Take Five" is a jazz piece written by Paul Desmond and performed by The Dave Brubeck Quartet on their 1959 album Time Out. Recorded at Columbia's 30th Street Studios in New York City on June 25, July 1, and August 18, 1959, this piece became one of the group's best-known records, famous for its...
    
    " (Paul Desmond
    Paul Desmond
    Paul Desmond , born Paul Emil Breitenfeld, was a jazz alto saxophonist and composer born in San Francisco, best known for the work he did in the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for penning that group's greatest hit, "Take Five"...
    
    ) – 2:44
35. "Is Anything Better Than This" (Shel Silverstein
    Shel Silverstein
    Sheldon Allan "Shel" Silverstein , was an American poet, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and author of children's books. He styled himself as Uncle Shelby in his children's books...
    
    ) – 2:30
36. "It's Been a Long, Long Time
    It's Been A Long, Long Time
    "It's Been A Long, Long Time" is a 1945 popular song that became a major hit at the end of World War II. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a person welcoming home his or her spouse or lover at the end of the war....
    
    " (Sammy Cahn
    Sammy Cahn
    Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
    
    , Jule Styne
    Jule Styne
    Jule Styne was a British-born American songwriter especially famous for a series of Broadway musicals, which included several very well known and frequently revived shows.-Early life:...
    
    ) – 3:32
37. "Polka Dots and Moonbeams
    Polka Dots and Moonbeams
    "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" is a popular song with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke, published in 1940. It was Frank Sinatra's first hit recorded with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra...
    
    " (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke
    Johnny Burke (lyricist)
    Johnny Burke was a lyricist, widely regarded as one of the finest writers of popular songs in America between the 1920s and 1950s.-Biography:...
    
    ) – 5:51
38. "Poor Boy Blues" (Paul Kennerly) – 4:04
39. "Sneakin' Around" (Kass) – 4:28
40. "Big Foot" (Atkins) – 1:40