“ARE YOU AWAKE? I NEED TO LEARN THAT LICK OF YOURS.” Jerry Reed once told a story that still makes musicians smile. It was 2 a.m. when his phone rang. On the other end was Chet Atkins — wide awake, no apology, no hesitation. “Jerry,” he said, “that lick you play in The Claw… it’s keeping me up. Show me how you do it.” Jerry laughed, staring at the clock. “Chet, normal people are sleeping.” Chet replied softly, “Music doesn’t sleep.” So the two of them — one a legend, one a wild genius — sat there in the middle of the night, trading notes through a phone line. No stage. No audience. Just two hearts loving the same thing far too much.
In a world of fierce solo guitar virtuosos, there’s something special about two masters who not only challenge each other—they also laugh together. That’s the story of Chet Atkins and…