Chet Atkins physical stature

[rhirvine]

I never had the chance to meet Chet Atkins much less shake his hand although I did get to see him from a distance in concert. My impression of him is that he was tall and slim, I'm thinking 6'2 or so. Is that a good guess? Thanks.

Rich Irvine

[Norm]

Pretty much

might not been quite that tall... maybe 6'1" or just 6'
firm handshake (not mushy)

[RandeDager]

My estimate is the same as Norm's. Without his upper spinal curvature he might have been 6'2". His handshake was firm like Norm said and I felt that his hands were quite large with long fingers. He had the "hand muscularity" to handle everything he needed to for his guitar playing but not so much that he would be swinging the hammer of a blacksmith.

[Norm]

I wish now I'd asked him to span his hand against mine to have a memory of just how large his hand may have been compared to mine but I did not.

I asked Paul about this and it never occured to him to do this with Chet. Paul kept posting "Chet had real strong hands" but it never occured to me to ask him what he had seen Chet do with his hands that made such an impression on him.

[albertgen]

Well he kinda hunched over a lot, but I was around him several times and I think he was about 6ft but if he stood straight up he could have been 6'1 or so. Al

[rhirvine]

Thanks guys. I appreciate it. I wondered on and off about his height. He sure never appeared hefty.

Sincerely,
Rich Irvine

[RandeDager]

I guess I must have been lucky then because on one of my visits to Chet's office with Tommy Jones I specifically asked Chet to put his hand up against mine and, though it wasn't any wider than mine, his fingers were just a bit longer and my hands aren't considered small. This was right after Tommy and I had finished a song together with Chet watching and I struggled with a particular reach and Chet grabbed a guitar and played that part with much more ease. I was trying to decide if he just had more flexibility or if his hands were actually larger. I was brave enough to find out and they were.

[Norm]

So how wide does your handspan measure out to?

RE reach, etc.

Readh has a lot to do with being able to relax your hand enought to make them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jETsDdX3S2c

...and you call yourselves guitar players...?

[pattie surman]

Many years ago at one of the CAAS Conventions they sold posters by Sam Causey of a black and white photo of Chet's hands playing a Gibson CEC. From measuring the guitar in the photo and comparing it to my CEC,I believe the photo is actual size. The best I can tell Chet's index finger on his left hand from tip to the joint is just shy of three and a half inches. I wish I could post this photo. Stan .

[Larry Marchino]

Regarding Chet's hands: I remember in November of 1993 I hung around after Chet and Paul's show in Owensboro, Ky. I showed Chet the program that I had saved from the first time I saw him in the mid 60's in one of Masters shows with Boots and Floyd in Evansville, IN. It was really late after the last show and I know he was tired, but he looked all through it, and didn't say much then he graciously signed it for me again, this time adding the CGP. My son, only 14 at the time, took a picture of Chet and me with my 35mm in the low light and, bless his heart, he did a super job holding it steady. In the picture, I look like a "deer in the headlights". I guess I couldn't believe it was really happening. It was such a special night for me. One that I will never forget. It was not a really large place, probably only held 300-400 people. When they opened the doors for the late show we were there waiting to go in. I couldn't believe it when we got to sit at the front table. I sat just to Chet's left with my right elbow resting on the edge of the stage! I was so pumped I don't think I slept at all that night after the show. Anyway, when Chet looked through and again signed my old program I remember specifically looking at his hands and being surprised that they lookled so normal. I don't know what I was expecting. It is like when you're a kid and Christmas day finally arrives. It is special and yet your are surprised to find it is just another day. Somehow in your anticipation you expect it to be more. Anyway, Chet's hands didn't appear to me so large. I have sorta large hands so maybe that affected my impression. It is all relative, I guess. Another thing about Chet's hands, near the "new" Grand Ole Opry House at what used to be Opryland they had concrete impressions up on stands with the stars boot prints, I think. I'm not sure about the others, but I am sure that for Chet they had concrete impressions of his hands. I remember putting my hands in those impressions and finding them not to be as large as I expected. The impressions were located up near the present day Opry House and I think they could still be there. At least that part of Opryland was not destroyed so they could still be there.

Sorry for taking the long way around about Chet's hands, but I just had to tell my Chet story.