Any discussion of Chester B. Atkins, Owen Bradley, Eddie Arnold, and their creation, cultivation, and purveyance of the "Nashville Sound", must first deal with the schizophrenic personality of country music since it's inception. You know, one personality cultivates that "I ain't got no teeth, I cain't read or write, I jest got done humpin my sister while swilling corn licker, but I shore can play some fine music on my home made fiddle", persona, while the other personality says', "Don't call me a backwoods hick motherf'er, I can play music that's just as eloquent and sophisticated as you".

I grew up on the outskirts of a small town since taken over by a major university, and am fortunate enough to be a rotating host of a completely free form 3 hour country music radio show. I can see Atkins and co. burning with resentment for uptown producers like Mitch Miller, who raided the southern publishing houses for the beautiful ballads written by people who lived a rural existence, but looked down on the musical culture of those same people. The ultimate in love-hate relationships. Creation of the N.S. came in the wake of the rockabilly-rock-n-roll explosion, and was as motivated by economic reasons as anything else. Greater audience = more sales = more cashola. I fault Atkins for pigeon holing artists. As an A and R man or producer, he had the power to dictate a specific style or direction to an artist, and blackball that artist if he was given any disagreements or resistance to his visions. Case in point, the all too brief association of Charlene Arthur with record companies, and the iron fisted rule given her by Chester B. His vision worked fine for Janis Martin, but Charlene Arthur was a bonafide personality before she encountered Mr. Chet. His attempt to reign her in, and his dismissal of her when she refused, shows a side of him that is quite troubling. As troubling as no one daring to probe the "dark" side of his purported "genius" or status as a legend.

Two other quick thoughts on this rapidly expanding topic. The reason so many honky-tonkers are not remembered today is not because they were "stinkers", but because it's not economical for the record labels to allow us to remember them. Look at all of the wonderful American honky-tonk, hillbilly, country and rockabilly music being re-released on foreign labels. Bear Family, Crazy Cat, Bison Bop etc.... Hell, even that most sacred spot in all of country music, THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME MUSEUM AND LIBRARY, uses and recommends Bear Family records for discography, music, and information on specific artists. Think about that for a while. I completely dis-like most of Charlie Rich's post SUN records catalogue.