Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville Ballet partner to honor Chet Atkins' 100th birthday

On what would have been his 100th birthday, a certifiable, guitar-picking country icon is being celebrated by both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the Nashville Ballet.

Yes, Chet Atkins — a 1973 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee whose career touched and shaped artists and institutions fundamental to country music history including the Carter family and Grand Ole Opry, Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton and Elvis Presley, plus Clint Black and Steve Wariner — is being honored via a YouTube clip of an original ballet performance, set to Atkins' 1959 recording of Fats Waller's 1942-released "Jitterbug Waltz."

"Chet Atkins and his fellow members of the Country Music Hall of Fame's indelible impact on American culture continues to inspire new generations of creators," said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

"In celebration of the centennial anniversary of Chet's birth, we are honored to partner with the Nashville Ballet to showcase Chet's enduring music and deserved recognition among the greatest guitarists of all time while also uplifting the creativity and collaboration within Nashville's nonprofit arts community."

"It's a true honor to be able to create a special piece of work for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum tocelebrate Chet Atkins," said Nashville Ballet Artistic Director and CEO Nick Mullikin.

"The opportunity to bring our two organizations together for this one-of-a-kind performance event not only exemplifies our commitment to excellence in the arts community, but honors the heritage of Music City as well."

The performance, Atkins' legacy

The three-minute performance by Nashville Ballet dancers Cassandra Thoms and Shaiya Donohue was envisioned by museum trustee, bass guitarist, music publishing legend and Atkins mentee David Conrad. It was then choreographed and co-directed by Nashville Ballet Artistic Director and CEO Nick Mullikin.

The work also centers on multiple traditions, highlighting the multi-generational importance of the Hall of Fame and its adjoining museum.

The video is shot in the Hall of Fame's rotunda, home to Country Music Hall of Fame members' bronze plaques and Thomas Hart Benton's 50-year-old painting "The Sources of Country Music." The dancers also wear costumes that reflect the characters on the 6-foot x 10-foot mural, celebrating the musical and cultural traditions that shaped country music and America. The video also features Atkins' 1954 Standel 25L15 amplifier and a Gretsch Streamliner Special 6120 guitar model, which Atkins helped design.

Atkins distinguished himself in a myriad of ways over his career.

Whether as an "A-Team" session musician recording with Hank Williams and the Everly Brothers, as a solo star with four decades of award-winning success, or as vice president of RCA Records and working in tandem with Owen Bradley at Decca, Don Law at Columbia and Ken Nelson at Capitol to introduce pop rhythms and ear-warming choruses to country music, he was an essential contributor to the genre and its culture.

However, always humble, in 1995, Atkins told the Los Angeles Times, "I've never expressed myself musically the way I would like. Because of that, I've had a long career. I've never been able to sit back and say, 'Wasn't I great? Listen to the one I made in 1958!'"

The Atkins 100th video is underwritten by David and Karen Conrad, with additional support from Metro Arts and the Tennessee Arts Commission.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Country Hall of Fame, Nashville Ballet honor Chet Atkins' 100th birthday