Chet Atkins Exhibit Coming To Hall of Fame

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is planning a cameo exhibition about revered musician and producer Chet Atkins. The Luttrell, Tennessee native, who died in 2001, made his mark as one of Nashville’s A-Team studio musicians, a performer, recording artist, producer and record executive.

“His signature guitar licks shaped recordings by scores of legendary artists, including the Everly Brothers, Elvis Presley and Kitty Wells, and his playing influenced future rock gods Duane Eddy, George Harrison, Mark Knopfler and many more,” explains Museum Director Kyle Young. “As a producer, Chet was an architect of the ‘Nashville Sound;’ he was also a brilliant record executive who signed and propelled a generation of country artists, including Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton and Charley Pride, to fame.”

Chet Atkins: Certified Guitar Player opens in the Museum’s East Gallery on August 11, 2011, and runs through June 2012. Atkins was signed as a Gretsch signature guitar artist in 1954 and the upcoming exhibition is made possible by the Gretsch Company, with additional support by Great American Country Television Network.

Meanwhile, the Museum is preparing to dim the lights on Tammy Wynette: First Lady of Country Music, Presented by Great American Country Television Network. In anticipation of the exhibit’s June 12 denouement, the Museum is offering a packed lineup of Wynette-themed programs including a series of film screenings and a special program starring Georgette Jones on Saturday, May 28.

In related news, the official Country Music Hall of Fame inductions will take place during the Medallion Ceremony on Sunday, May 22. The event is invitation-only, but the public is welcome to watch the red carpet.

Also, catch Rivers Rutherford at Saturday’s (5/14) Songwriter Sessions, and don’t forget the Cookin’ Out Country lunchtime series on Wednesdays in May. Details at CountryMusicHallofFame.com.