A Finger-Pickin’-Good Tribute

Few musicians compare to Chet Atkins, the legendary Tennessee-born guitarist and record producer who practically reinvented the finger-picking style of playing.

His astonishing, distinctive sound has spanned a broad range of genres, including country, classical, folk, jazz, pop, blues, rockabilly and even surf-rock. He has influenced countless other pickers, including John Fahey, Leo Kottke, Michael Hedges and Jorma Kaukonen.

Saturday night, the Southern California-based Assn. of Fingerstyle Guitarists honored its hero with “A Tribute to Chet Atkins,” a get-together that took place before a small gathering at Kirk Sand’s Guitar Shoppe in Laguna Beach. (The group will host a two-day convention opening Friday in Anaheim.)

If Saturday’s event was relatively small-scale, the atmosphere was cozy and celebratory. For 2 1/2 hours, guitarist Richard Alcoy and friends played faithful--frequently dazzling--versions of some of their favorite tunes associated with Atkins, 74, who couldn’t attend.

The Philippines-born, Cerritos-based Alcoy began the concert with a 40-minute solo acoustic set that emphasized Atkins’ classical and folk-based material. After a tepid opening in which he appeared overly reverential to the night’s honoree, Alcoy eventually loosened up and finished strong with a spicy “Las Malagenas” and a unadorned, captivating performance of “Batucade,” the Brazilian standard that Atkins recorded with a full orchestra.

Alcoy and La Mesa guitarist Mike Nelson then joined forces for a few selections that Nelson introduced by saying, “We’ve been working on these four songs for two years.”

Their hard work paid off.

First, they performed “Tears,” a much-covered Django Reinhardt song that soared with passionate soloing and intricate interplay. Then, introducing a breezier side of Atkins, they performed a freewheeling version of the Atkins/Jerry Reed pop-country chestnut, “Twichy.”

Among the evening’s other highlights were “Yesterday,” a gentle, pretty duet played by Alcoy and guitarist E.B. Jensen; a rollicking rendering of Tommy Jones’ “Chet’s Place,” which was powered by the electrified licks of Pastor Darrell Owens; and a concert-ending “Hellacious,” an adrenaline-pumping Grateful Dead-like instrumental that happily incorporated jazz, folk and country strains.

It’s hard to go wrong focusing on the tremendously rich catalog of Chet Atkins, and musically, “A Tribute to Chet Atkins” delivered the goods. Still, a bit more of a personal touch would have been welcome.

For instance, since so few songs were even introduced, the audience was left to ponder why these in particular--of the 1,000 or so recorded by Atkins--were chosen. Nor did any of the performers share why Atkins had influenced them.

Association President J.D. Roberts shed some light on the matter in an interview. “We’re in awe of the guy. To us, he’s one step below Jesus.

“I mean, Chet’s sense of timing is incredible, and the songs in his repertoire, from blues to boogie to Bach, demonstrate just how versatile he is,” Roberts said. “He’s so unique, too. He never seems content. . . . He was always thinking up new ways to make his playing better.”

Roberts, a former rock ‘n’ roll guitarist who at 60 now works as a planning estimator for Boeing in Long Beach, recalled seeing Atkins for the first time at the Hollywood Bowl in 1966.

“I remember having no idea how one man could do everything that he did,” he said. “His style is one of the most difficult ways to play the guitar. The thumb plays the bass line, you’ve got one finger that plays the melody, and the other fingers play the chords. It’s all done at the same time, with one hand. I’d never seen anything like it, and I honestly thought it was some kind of trick.”

The Assn. of Fingerstyle Guitarists was formed three years ago with 63 members “dedicated to the further preservation of the art of fingerstyle guitar.” Today, there are more than 150 members, including a mix of professional musicians (including Laurence Juber, Muriel Anderson, Gary Lambert, Doyle Dykes and Edgar Cruz) and part-time enthusiasts looking to expand their skills. (See the group’s Web site: https://www.afg.org.)

“I’ve always wanted to do something for Chet, and in a roundabout way, I feel like I am,” said Roberts, whose most prized possession is Atkins’ first 10-inch recording, “Galloping Guitar.” “Who knows . . . maybe someday the next Chet Atkins will be one of our members.”

Among its various activities, the group sponsors an annual convention, publishes a quarterly newsletter (“The Sound Hole”), presents monthly tribute concerts at the Guitar Shoppe and offers guitar lessons for players at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels.

“Unfortunately, Chet couldn’t make the concert, and he’ll miss the convention,” Roberts said. “He refuses to fly since . . . TWA Flight 800 took Marcel Dadi,” a French guitarist who was a close friend of Atkins’.

“We wish he was here, but there’s no doubt he’s still the engine that drives our machine.”

The 1999 Assn. of Fingerstyle Guitarists Convention is Friday and Saturday at the Family Church, 1759 W. Broadway, Anaheim. It will feature Doyle Dykes, Darrell Owens, Gary Lambert, Jim English, Bob Saxton, Scott Tonnelson, George Sabolick, Mike Nelson, Richard Alcoy and Michael O’Dorn. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. $35 (first-time visitors free). (805) 269-4556.