orig. Chester Burton Atkins born June 20, 1924, Luttrell, Tenn., U.S. died June 30, 2001, Nashville, Tenn. U.S. guitarist and record company executive. Atkins began his musical career as a fiddler in the early 1940s, but it was his signature style of playing guitar (bass rhythm played with thumb, melody picked with three fingers) that brought him worldwide acclaim. In the early 1950s he began playing electric guitar, pioneering its use in country music. As an RCA Records executive, he produced hit recordings for Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves, and Waylon Jennings
orig. Chesney Henry Baker born Dec. 23, 1929, Yale, Okla., U.S. died May 13, 1988, Amsterdam, Neth. U.S. trumpeter and singer. After playing in army bands he attracted attention during engagements with Charlie Parker and Gerry Mulligan in 1952 and 1953. His subdued tone and gentle phrasing made him the epitome of the cool jazz (see bebop) of the 1950s. With recordings such as "My Funny Valentine" he established his plaintive, fragile approach as a vocalist, which mirrored his trumpet style. Much of his later career, interrupted several times by legal problems stemming from drug addiction, was spent in Europe