Chet Atkins was a great fan of Lenny Breau. The two made some wonderful recordings together. Listening to one of their Recordings inspired this article.

Lenny is recognized among Guitar Players as being one of the all time great Guitarists. However, he never had hit recordings, not even any albums which were big sellers. Why does this happen, that one can be so great, and can never get the recordings that sell in great numbers? One cannot know the answer to this question, not fully.

Lenny Breau was so Good on the Guitar that those who have the ability to recognize his great art are very devoted fans. The Lenny Breau Recordings are Collectible now. Record Collectors have a way to recognize Great Art. Sometimes mainstream music makes it to the archive of great music art, and sometimes it doesn't. It all depends on if the general music audience had the taste for music that a great artists was recording.

On the Recording I was listening to this morning, of Chet and Lenny Playing together, Lenny is so energetic. He sometimes had to restrain himself from playing too much, at least I think he did. Chet had this same problem in his early years of Professional Playing. Chet Atkins tells in his biography that he was fired from almost every big radio station that had live Country Music. I think at some time Chet decided he had to play a more commercial sound that would be palatable to the general public and to the high level music Execs who were to hire him to play his Guitar backing up singers, and on solo Guitar Recordings.

So on the Recordings where Chet and Lenny Play together, I think Lenny even cooled it a little and did not let it go and play all the Guitar that he was capable of playing. In fact I thought I could hear a little restraint on the part of Lenny Breau, but still his Guitar work was so great that it was most enjoyable.

Chet Atkins Produced some Lenny Breau Recordings, but they never became big hits, or sold in great number. Chet let everyone know how much he admired Lenny Breau. Chet has a great admiration for many of the Guitar Greats and never hides what he feels about their Guitar Playing. Lenny Breau was said to have played music that no one could put into any Category and this hurt him when it came to the sales of CDs. His music simply knew no bounds. This is true with many of the really great Guitarists.

I personally knew one such Great Guitarist in St. Louis, Missouri, by the name of Bobby Ward. Many said that his style was such that it could not be put into a category. But to the people who love their music, it makes no difference if what they play can be categorized. Unfortunately Lenny Breau had a problem with Drugs. This did not help his career or his personal life. Lenny Breau died at the young age of 43. If you enjoy the Guitar Work of Chet Atkins, or you love modern Jazz Guitar, or if you just appreciate any genre of music when it is performed by a really gifted Guitarist, I'm sure you will love the Guitar of Lenny Breau. And it's a real treat to hear Lenny Breau and Chet Atkins play their Guitars together. The only real category you can put their music into is "Great."

by Robert Lee Johnson "The Guitar Man"

70 Free Songs to listen to and download:
http://www.mp3.com/guitarman

see also:

CHET ATKINS
http://www.guitarsite.com/ChetAtkins.htm
Without Chet Atkins, country music may never have crossed over into the pop charts in the '50s and '60s. Although he has recorded hundreds of solo records, Chet Atkins' largest influence came as a session musician and a record producer. During the '50s and '60s, he helped create the Nashville sound, a style of country music that owed nearly as much to pop as it did to honky tonks. And as a guitarist, he is without parallel. Atkins' style grew out of his admiration for Merle Travis, expanding Travis' signature syncopated thumb and fingers roll into new territory...

MERLE TRAVIS - GUITAR LEGEND

CHET ATKINS GUITAR GENIUS

GUITAR PLAYERS WHO SING

EDDIE PENNINGTON
A West Kentucky thumbpicker in the Merle Travis Style

CHET ATKINS AND CLINT EASTWOOD