An asthma sufferer throughout his youth, Atkins was a sickly child from a humble background in Tennessee. When his parents separated when he was ten, Atkins moved to Georgia to live with his father, hoping the climate would be easier on his asthma.

His father was a music teacher and song leader with a number of traveling evangelists, and his brother Jimmy — thirteen years Chet's senior — was himself an accomplished guitar player. Atkins's first instrument was a ukulele strung with wire from a screen door; he then graduated to an inexpensive Sears Silvertone. Atkins said that his childhood adversity was a significant motivator in driving him to be “the greatest at what he did.”

A series of performances on local radio stations, as well as the popular Old Dominion Barn Dance, ended poorly, because his sophisticated musicianship was at odds with the simple twangy “hillbilly” guitar the producers wanted. His break came in 1947 with a gig with the legendary Carter family at the Grand Ole Opry, where his talents were finally appreciated. After that, his close association with RCA in Nashville led to Atkins becoming a sought-after session player, working on records by some of the great pioneers of both country and rock-and-roll, including the Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley.

Chet Atkins bought Elvis Presley's recording contract from Sam Phillips of Sun Records. This move would prove crucial to rock-and-roll history as Chet produced Elvis' music at RCA, and Sun Records was able to produce the music of Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis with the money it received from the Elvis buyout.

Atkins joined RCA as a vice president and staff producer and almost single-handedly created the smooth sound that became known as the “Nashville Sound,” scoring major hits with nearly every country star of the era. Upon leaving RCA, Chet continued his highly successful career as a recording artist, signing with Columbia Records, where he remained until his death.