NMM 6764.  Electric Guitar by Gibson Guitar Corp., Nashville, July 26, 1990.
Chet Atkins CE model.  Serial number 92070302.
Custom painting of Ryman Auditorium by Mark Camden.
Ex coll.:  Paul Craft, Nashville songwriter.
Board of Trustees, 1999.

The Chet Atkins/Camden Series by Gibson began with the introduction of the Chet Atkins CE and CEC in 1982. The CE (classical electric) was produced with a "chambered" body that allowed players to have the sound of an acoustic classical guitar without the feedback and lack of sustain that were problems with amplified acoustic instruments.

Born in Luttrell, Tennesse, Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924-June 30, 2001) was a guitarist and producer who began his career in country, but in the fifty years of his career transcended popular genres to influence artists with a wide variety of musical styles. Albums of his music have been released every year since 1952, winning fourteen Grammy awards. Atkins also worked with Gretsch on the development of guitars before his relationship with Gibson.

NMM 6764 was painted by Mark Camden with the scene of a guitarist gazing upon Ryman Auditorium, with his back to the viewer. Ryman, built in 1892, was the original home of the Grand Ole Opry, which was founded in 1943. The Grand Ole Opry moved to a new location in 1974, but its old home, restored in 1994, is still the focus of veneration and nostalgia for country music fans remembering its golden age as the Mecca of the Nashville music scene.

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Lit.:  André P. Larson, "Major Guitar Exhibition Taken to Nebraska Museum," America's Shrine to Music Museum Newsletter Vol. 26, No. 3 (August 1999), p. 8.

"Recent Acquisitions," America's Shrine to Music Museum Newsletter Vol. 27, No. 4 (November 2000), p. 6.

"Wall Street Journal Focuses Attention on Music Museum," Arts Alive South Dakota, Vol. 10, Issue 2 (Winter 2008), p. 7.

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Most recent update: March 24, 2014

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