![]() ![]() It was a remarkable climb to fame, honor and homage for a shy, asthma-afflicted child who was born in the hamlet of Luttrell, Tenn., and grew up in Appalachian poverty. The fiddle that he took up as a young child was seen in part as a refuge and shelter from the harshness of his life. His mother played the piano and also sang. His father was a kind of wandering teacher of piano, who would on occasion sing with traveling evangelists. The attractions of the fiddle did not leave Mr. Atkins immune to the lure of the guitar, and he began picking at the age of 9 by his late teens, he was regarded as a polished player.Īfter he graduated from high school in 1941, he began making regular radio appearances, in Knoxville, Tenn. He was with the Dixie Swingers and with Homer and Jethro, and backed up Red Foley. ![]() By the late 1940s, he was recording in Nashville for RCA. ![]() Shortly after his arrival there, he was made studio guitarist for the label's Nashville sessions, and by 1950 he was firmly anchored in the country music capital, as a regular on Grand Ole Opry.Īccording to one account, his first RCA hit was a rendition of "Mr. Sandman," and he repeated its popularity by joining with Hank Snow in "Silver Bell." By 1957, he had become manager of RCA's Nashville unit. In his 20 years as an RCA executive, he was given credit for influencing the careers of Roy Orbison, Jim Reeves, Charley Pride, Dolly Parton, Jerry Reed, Waylon Jennings and Eddy Arnold, among others. ![]()
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