The Chetboard

Here is Brenda Lee singing the song A Good Man is Hard to Find, accompanied by Chet on a ... Les Paul. Never seen Chet playing a LP before. It doesn't matter what the man played; it always was his sound.

Chet Atkins & Brenda Lee - A Good Man is Hard to Find

That was great and you can see why Chet is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a sideman in addition to his solo and lead guitar abilities. Thanks for posting this one.
Ray

I also loved Chet's laid back personality. I know that Brenda Lee started performing at a very young age but did Chet have anything to do with it? He seemed to for everyone else!

Probably not.

Her Wikipedia biography indicates she got her break via Red Foley and went to Capitol records.

Chet wasn't an advocate of child stars preferring they stay in school and get an education. Dolly Parton is a good example of this. She approached Chet much as Brenda approached Foley. Chet told her to stay in school and see him after graduation

That's interesting, Norm. I know that Chet always wanted a degree from Vanderbilt and had not gone very far himself.
He probably didn't want anyone else regretting not having an education.

I think it was a bunch of things...

When he performed at the Opry and in Nashville in the early days he was careful to avoid the "hillbilly" stereotype that the Big City Suits sometimes regarded the Nashville performers. He didn't like school as a kid but always felt inadequate because once he got into the business he saw people who had stayed in school and it showed. To him, anyway... He read a lot, talked to educated people but, because he had no diplomas of any kind felt he was lacking.

Vanderbilt...

Parts of Nashville tends to resent Music Row and the Opry, stylizing itself as "The Athens of the South"
Never mind that the music business is such an important industry both as entertainment as well as the tourism it brings...many residents try to pretend that part is not as redeeming to the city.

Chet's repertoire and ability on guitar put him high in any list back in the day yet lofty Vanderbilt could not see their way clear to grant him an honorary doctorate in music.

Just prior to posting this I decided to take my own advice and looked up Vanderbilt University looking to see who may have received honorary music degrees in the past and was surprised to read that Vanderbilt doesn't confer ANY honorary degrees.

That puts a different perspective on it...

Well that is just a fabulous little clip, thanks so much for posting this gem!

Len