STEVE WARINER

Paying tribute to friend and mentor Chet Atkins

If anyone is qualified to pay tribute to late guitar giant Chet Atkins, it’s country singer, songwriter and guitarist Steve Wariner. Atkins took Wariner under his wing in the late 1970s, welcoming him into his touring band as bass player, and signing the young artist to RCA Records in his capacity as an executive and producer. Wariner’s new album, My Tribute to Chet Atkins, finds him spotlighting his mentor’s illustrious career through a set of mostly new original songs in Atkins’ style. We spoke with Wariner about the lessons he learned—and continues to learn—from his longtime friend and collaborator.

How did you first become aware of Chet Atkins’ music?

My first memories of Chet were through my father, who had a lot of his records. I was intrigued with Chet’s style. At an early age I’d sit and listen to those records over and over. I knew them inside and out. Then as I fell in love with the guitar I respected his music even more.

How long had you been thinking of making an album like this?

Chet died in June 2001, and I’ve been trying to figure out a way to do a project honoring him ever since. I wanted to come up with something different than just doing some of his songs half as well as he did. It’s hard to do. How do you honor a guy like that? This was the way for me to do it.

How did you prepare?

I’ll tell you, I’ve never done a project where I spent so much time researching and listening to music. I thought I’d heard a lot of Chet music in my life, but I went and found a whole lot of outtakes, things I’d never heard before. I listened to things I hadn’t heard since I was a kid. I learned all kinds of guitar licks doing this record. I’m still cussing Chet: “Damn you, Chet! You’re still getting me! How’d you do that?”

Which guitars did you play on the album?

I’ve been lucky over the years that Chet gave me some guitars, and I used a lot of them on the album. That was a cool connection. The main one I played was a Gibson Country Gentleman that Chet played on many of his records. It’s just got that fat tone. When my hands went down the neck the first few times after I had it, I’m sure the guitar was screaming, “Oh, no, who’s this? That’s not Chet!” (laughs) I also played a ’58 Gretsch 6120. It wasn’t Chet’s, but it’s a beautiful guitar. I’ve got three 6120s, but that’s the best one I have. I even went so far as to use the kind of ribbon mics he used in the studio, the old [RCA] 77s. Just trying to do it fairly close to how he might have done it, staying real pure and true.

Can you offer a thumbnail description of how to play in the Chet Atkins style?

Just think of your thumb as playing the bass guitar part. Then you think of your index finger and second finger as playing the melody and/or the chords. Then you put those together and do them both simultaneously. The tricky part is to keep the bass going, and to get the right positioning. I’ve watched guys who don’t have a grasp for it—they kinda do it, but not really. The guys who are great at it go to another position to grab a chord that keeps that melody line going. That’s the beauty. You’d watch Chet play, and he’d be all over the neck. He’d play this position because that’s where you could grab that note, but the bass never quit. His bass was so precise. His thumb was like a machine—it was just awesome. He had such big, strong hands that he could really reach for chords. Something about his hands, that’s where it is. It didn’t matter what kind of guitar he’d pick up. It’s the guitar player; it’s not the guitar.

–Chris Neal