Galloping Guitar: The Early Years


Galloping Guitar: The Early Years is a multi-disc box-set retrospective recording by American guitarist Chet Atkins, released in 1993 on the Bear Family label.

History

This large boxed set focuses on Atkins' earliest recordings from 1940 to 1954. Early in his career, Atkins was signed and marketed mainly as a vocalist who played guitar. The majority of this set includes Chet's vocal releases as well as guest vocalists. There are a number of instrumentals featured.
The track list is more extensive than Guitar Legend: The RCA Years, covering much of the same material while adding four previously unavailable songs. There are many early Atkins originals, and also a large sampling of hard-to-find songs which Atkins co-wrote with Boudleaux Bryant. The biographical essay was written by country music historian Rich Kienzle, known for his expertise on the subject of country guitar.
In 2004, Bear Family released another box set of 214 tracks titled Mr. Guitar: The Complete Recordings 1955-1960.

Track listing

CD 1

  1. "Guitar Blues" – 2:50
  2. "Brown Eyes Cryin' in the Rain" – 2:49
  3. "Ain'tcha Tired of Makin' Me Blue" – 2:45
  4. "I'm Gonna Get Tight" – 2:55
  5. "Canned Heat" – 2:35
  6. "Standing Room Only" – 2:54
  7. "Don't Hand Me That Line" – 2:37
  8. "Bug Dance" – 2:57
  9. " In Her Own Peculiar Way" – 2:27
  10. "The Nashville Jump" – 2:32
  11. "My Guitar Is My Sweetheart" – 2:40
  12. "I'm Pickin' the Blues" – 2:50
  13. "Gone, Gone, Gone" – 2:40
  14. "Barnyard Shuffle" – 2:52
  15. "Save Your Money" – 2:34
  16. " I Know When I'm Blue" – 2:33
  17. "I've Been Working on the Guitar" – 2:30
  18. "Dizzy Strings" – 2:45
  19. "Money, Marbles and Chalk" – 2:54
  20. "Wednesday Night Waltz" – 2:32
  21. "Guitar Waltz" – 3:04
  22. "Tellin' My Troubles to My Old Guitar" – 2:46
  23. "Dance of the Golden Rod" – 2:41
  24. "Galloping on the Guitar" – 2:29
  25. "Barber Shop Rag" – 2:50
  26. "Centipede Boogie" – 2:38

CD 2

  1. "Under the Hickory Nut Tree" – 2:58
  2. "I Was Bitten by the Same Bug Twice" – 2:31
  3. "One More Chance" – 2:49
  4. "The Old Buck Dance" – 2:27
  5. "Boogie Man Boogie" – 2:49
  6. "Main Street Breakdown" – 2:18
  7. "Confusin'" – 2:14
  8. "Music in My Heart" – 2:17
  9. "Indian Love Call" – 2:39
  10. "Birth of the Blues" – 2:33
  11. "Mountain Melody" – 2:10
  12. "You're Always Brand New" – 2:39
  13. "My Crazy Heart" – 2:41
  14. "Hybrid Corn" – 2:15
  15. "Jitterbug Waltz" – 2:37
  16. "One Man Boogie " – 2:40
  17. "Crazy Rhythm " – 2:25
  18. "Crazy Rhythm " – 2:23
  19. "Rustic Dance" – 2:06
  20. "Rainbow" – 2:38
  21. "In the Mood" – 2:29
  22. "Spanish Fandango" – 2:40
  23. "Midnight" – 2:53
  24. "Good-Bye Blues" – 2:29
  25. "Your Mean Little Heart" – 2:33
  26. "Sweet Bunch of Daisies" – 2:05
  27. "Blue Gypsy" – 2:19
  28. "Third Man Theme" – 2:26
  29. "One Man Boogie " – 2:38

CD 3

  1. "St. Louis Blues" – 2:17
  2. "Nobody's Sweetheart" – 2:16
  3. "Lover, Come Back to Me" – 2:26
  4. "Stephen Foster Medley" – 2:26
  5. "Hangover Blues" – 2:36
  6. "Imagination" – 2:13
  7. "Black Mountain Rag" – 2:18
  8. "Guitar Polka" – 2:06
  9. "Dream Train" – 2:13
  10. "Meet Mister Callaghan" – 2:42
  11. "Chinatown, My Chinatown" – 2:01
  12. "High Rockin' Swing" – 2:20
  13. "Pig Leaf Rag" – 2:31
  14. "Oh by Jingo!" – 2:14
  15. "Hello Ma Baby" – 2:09
  16. "The Bells of St. Mary's" – 2:15
  17. "Country Gentleman" – 2:15
  18. "The Memphis Blues" – 2:11
  19. "Alice Blue Gown" – 2:06
  20. "12th Street Rag" – 2:22
  21. "Peeping Tom" – 2:22
  22. "Three O'Clock in the Morning" – 2:19
  23. "Georgia Camp Meeting" – 2:14
  24. "City Slicker" – 2:23
  25. "Dill Pickle Rag" – 2:25
  26. "Rubber Doll Rag" – 2:15
  27. "Beautiful Ohio " – 2:17
  28. "Kentucky Derby" – 2:03
  29. "Wildwood Flower" – 2:13
  30. "Guitars on Parade" – 2:22
  31. "Simple Simon" – 2:11
  32. "Rubber Doll Rag " – 2:24

CD 4

  1. "Get Up and Go" – 2:54
  2. "Pagan Love Song" – 2:07
  3. "Beautiful Ohio " – 2:09
  4. "Downhill Drag" – 2:23
  5. "Avalon" – 2:20
  6. "Sunrise Serenade" – 2:45
  7. "San Antonio Rose" – 2:29
  8. "Set a Spell" – 2:27
  9. "Mister Misery " – 2:29
  10. "Get Up and Go" – 2:53
  11. "South" – 2:49
  12. "Alabama Jubilee" – 2:36
  13. "Corrine, Corrina" – 2:20
  14. "(Back Home Again in) Indiana" – 3:22
  15. "Red Wing" – 2:27
  16. "Frankie and Johnnie" – 2:35
  17. "A Gay Ranchero" – 2:34
  18. "Ballin' the Jack" – 2:58
  19. "Honeysuckle Rose" – 2:42
  20. "Darktown Strutters' Ball" – 2:01
  21. "The Old Spinning Wheel" – 2:27
  22. "Silver Bell" – 2:17
  23. "Under the Double Eagle" – 2:35
  24. "Birth of the Blues" – 3:23
  25. "Have You Ever Been Lonely " – 2:43
  26. "Caravan" – 3:28
  27. "Ol' Man River" – 2:35
  28. "Mister Sandman" – 2:17
  29. "New Spanish Two Step" – 2:09

Personnel

  • Chet Atkins - guitar, vocals
  • James “Jimmy” Atkins - guitar
  • George Barnes - guitar
  • Harold Bradley - guitar
  • Jerry Byrd - lap steel guitar
  • Bob Moore - bass
  • Buddy Harman - drums
  • Hank Snow - guitar, vocals
  • Anita Carter - bass, vocals
  • Rosalie Allen - vocals
  • Frank Carroll - bass
  • Al Chernet - guitar
  • Charles Grean - bass
  • Ray Edenton - guitar
  • John Gordy - piano
  • Marty Gold - piano, organ
  • Marvin Hughes - piano, organ, celeste
  • Dale Potter - fiddle
  • Ernie Newton - bass
  • Donna Wilson - vocals
  • Coleen Wilson - vocals
  • Jack Shook - guitar, vocals
  • Donald Slayman - fiddle
  • Harold Siegel - bass
  • Roy Lanham - guitar
  • Phil Kraus - bass
  • Dutch McMillin - clarinet
  • Anita Kerr - organ
  • Louis Innis - guitar