Chet Atkins’ Guitar Cover Of ‘Mr. Sandman’ Is A Country Fan’s Dream
on Jun 24, 2015 • Updated Jan 30, 2023
It’s no wonder his nickname is Mr. Guitar!
The song “Mr. Sandman” has a lot of history behind it, with many different renditions from the original version by The Chordettes in the 1950s. Soon after it was released, it became a huge hit and was picked up by other artists to put their own twist on it.
One of those artists to cover “Mr. Sandman” was Chet Atkins, and because he’s known as “Mr. Guitar”, it came as no surprise to fans when he released his purely instrumental cover. “Mr. Sandman” became Atkins’ first hit single, which really catapulted his career.
During a television appearance in 1954 surrounded by fans, Atkins performed “Mr. Sandman” with a few back up musicians to create the smooth country sound known as the Nashville sound.
Atkins was known for the certain picking style he used when playing guitar or violin, which gave him so much notoriety that he later became a producer at RCA Victor, where he produced for legends including Elvis Presley, Waylon Jennings, and Dolly Parton.
Check out his unique style in the video below.
