Tuesday, September 29, 2009 - Chet Atkins will be inducted into Nashville's Musician's Hall of Fame on Oct. 12, 2009, at that city’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

The induction of Atkins, a legendary artist whose name is closely linked to Gretsch guitars, was announced in June 2009. Fellow inductees at the ceremony will include Dick Dale, bassist Billy Cox, Charlie Daniels, and Toto.

In prefacing Atkins’ induction, the Musician’s Hall of Fame and Museum website notes that “As a guitarist, musician, producer, record label executive, and mentor, Chet Atkins was one of the most influential musical pioneers of the last half century,” and that “His contributions were pivotal in helping young musicians everywhere.”

Atkins (1924-2001) has received 14 Grammy Awards and nine Country Music Association Instrumentalist of the Year Awards. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993, a Billboard Century Award in 1997, and was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

A recent Gretsch ad celebrating Atkins’ history with the company.