Chet Atkins: A Tribute to Chet Atkins

There's very little not to like about Chet Atkins, other than his rather uncomfortable resemblance to a certain George Dubya Bush. A wonderful guitarist (they didn't call him “Mr. Guitar” and name instrument models after him for nothing) with chops that he rarely felt the need to show off via flashy solos, Atkins was also a superb talent scout, important Nashville record executive and producer, and a mentor to many younger musicians. That's all good, but boy, this tribute (originally televised in 1980) is almost too hokey to bear. There are some fairly big names on hand, but the performances by the likes of Ray Stevens, Tom T. Hall, Charley Pride, and Porter Wagoner are like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting--corny and sentimental. You get Charlie Daniels and his band livening things up with an Allman Brothers-esque display of twin lead guitars, but you also get the likes of Foster Brooks and his appallingly unfunny drunk shtick. Don Everly duets nicely with Atkins on “Bye Bye Love,” but then there's the utterly innocuous Earl Klugh doing “Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues.” Half bad, half good, this is neither Atkins nor Nashville at their best. Optional. Aud: P. (S. Graham)