Nashville, TN -- The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will present two special programs next month in support of the exhibition Chet Atkins: Certified Guitar Player. On March 3, The Life and Times of Chet Atkins by Dr. Richard Hood will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the museum's Ford Theater. Dr. Hood, a Chet Atkins scholar and finger-style guitarist, will trace Atkins' life from his rural childhood to his career as a legendary guitarist and producer. Ben Hall and Eddie Pennington, both winners of the National Thumbpicking Championship, will perform selections from the Chet Atkins catalog. Pennington will also present a thumbpick guitar demonstration on March 4, at 1:00 p.m. in the museum's SunTrust Community Room.
On March 17, Chet Atkins at Studio B, a panel discussion featuring some of Atkins' closest associates, will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the museum's Ford Theater. RCA crossover artists Bobby Bare ("Detroit City") and Jim Ed Brown ("The Three Bells"), background singer Delores Dinning Edgin, studio guitarist Ray Edenton, and hit songwriter John D. Loudermilk ("Abilene") will share stories of their work with Atkins, providing insights into what made him one of country music's most successful producers of all time. The program will be streamed live at www.CountryMusicHallOfFame.org .
Following the panel discussion, museum staffer Ben Hall will present The House That Chet Built: A Chet Atkins Tour of Historic RCA Studio B. This unique guided tour will show how Atkins worked in his longtime recording home, logging many hours as a musician and a producer, and cutting records that helped define the classic Nashville Sound.
The Life and Times of Chet Atkins, the guitar demonstration and Chet Atkins at Studio B are included with museum admission and are free for museum members.
Tickets for The House That Chet Built: A Chet Atkins Tour of Historic RCA Studio B can be purchased as an add-on to museum admission or for $9 for museum members. Reservations are required, and seating is limited. The shuttle departs from the museum promptly at 3:30 p.m. For information call 615-416-2001.
Museum programs are made possible, in part, by grants from the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission and by an agreement between the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.