.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
GRETSCH CHET ATKINS COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, PERSONALLY OWNED BY ELVIS PRESLEY
In 1954, Jimmie Webster of the Gretsch company approached the young Nashville guitar virtuoso and studio player Chet Atkins about collaborating on an endorsement guitar that would carry his name. This marketing model had proved successful in the past at Gibson, first with the Nick Lucas model in 1927 and then with the wildly popular Les Paul Model launched in 1952. After numerous prototypes were passed by Atkins, the all-maple hollowbody electric 6120 was born and released in 1955, followed by the solidbody 6121 the same year. Desiring improvements to the line that were driven by Chet Atkins, the 6122 was released at the end of 1957. At seventeen inches across the bottom bout and just over two inches deep, the Country Gentleman was Gretsch’s first thinline archtop, albeit with the applied black faux f-holes that essentially sealed the body cavity.
Although all three models began life as single-cutaway guitars, they were updated to feature a double-cutaway design in 1961. By the early 1960s, the unique sound and playability of the instruments, combined with Chet Atkins' fame, had positioned Gretsch as one of the top four electric guitar manufacturers globally.
According to the accompanying letter from Jonathan R. Taurog, this Country Gentleman was used by Elvis Presley in 1969 at the International Hotel in Las Vegas and gifted to Jonathan’s father, Academy Award winning director Norman Taurog, in the 1970s. After directing Elvis in the 1960 musical comedy G.I. Blues, which marked Elvis’ return to Hollywood following his discharge from the US army, Taurog went on to direct Presley in a further eight films before his retirement from directing in 1968, including Blue Hawaii (1961), Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), Spinout (1966), Double Trouble (1967), and Speedway (1968). A September 1963 memo from Presley’s manager Colonel Parker to producer Hal Wallis indicates the high regard that Elvis had for the director: Taurog... works very easily with Elvis. Elvis has great respect for him.
A similar Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman remains in the possession of the Presley estate at Graceland. Various photographs exist of Elvis playing a Gretsch Country Gentleman during his four-week engagement at the newly opened International Hotel, Las Vegas, from 31 July to 28 August 1969. The iconic sold out run marked Elvis’ triumphant return to the stage for the first time in eight years. Elvis was seen with the same Gretsch model when he performed a series of six shows at the Houston Astrodome from 27 February to 1 March 1970. Later that summer, Elvis played a Gretsch Country Gentleman during July 1970 rehearsals at M.G.M. Studios in Culver City, California, and on stage for August 1970 shows at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, both of which were extensively filmed for the 1970 M.G.M. documentary film Elvis: That's the Way It Is. By repute, this guitar was used by Presley at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, in 1969.
In 1954, Jimmie Webster of the Gretsch company approached the young Nashville guitar virtuoso and studio player Chet Atkins about collaborating on an endorsement guitar that would carry his name. This marketing model had proved successful in the past at Gibson, first with the Nick Lucas model in 1927 and then with the wildly popular Les Paul Model launched in 1952. After numerous prototypes were passed by Atkins, the all-maple hollowbody electric 6120 was born and released in 1955, followed by the solidbody 6121 the same year. Desiring improvements to the line that were driven by Chet Atkins, the 6122 was released at the end of 1957. At seventeen inches across the bottom bout and just over two inches deep, the Country Gentleman was Gretsch’s first thinline archtop, albeit with the applied black faux f-holes that essentially sealed the body cavity.
Although all three models began life as single-cutaway guitars, they were updated to feature a double-cutaway design in 1961. By the early 1960s, the unique sound and playability of the instruments, combined with Chet Atkins' fame, had positioned Gretsch as one of the top four electric guitar manufacturers globally.
According to the accompanying letter from Jonathan R. Taurog, this Country Gentleman was used by Elvis Presley in 1969 at the International Hotel in Las Vegas and gifted to Jonathan’s father, Academy Award winning director Norman Taurog, in the 1970s. After directing Elvis in the 1960 musical comedy G.I. Blues, which marked Elvis’ return to Hollywood following his discharge from the US army, Taurog went on to direct Presley in a further eight films before his retirement from directing in 1968, including Blue Hawaii (1961), Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), Spinout (1966), Double Trouble (1967), and Speedway (1968). A September 1963 memo from Presley’s manager Colonel Parker to producer Hal Wallis indicates the high regard that Elvis had for the director: Taurog... works very easily with Elvis. Elvis has great respect for him.
A similar Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman remains in the possession of the Presley estate at Graceland. Various photographs exist of Elvis playing a Gretsch Country Gentleman during his four-week engagement at the newly opened International Hotel, Las Vegas, from 31 July to 28 August 1969. The iconic sold out run marked Elvis’ triumphant return to the stage for the first time in eight years. Elvis was seen with the same Gretsch model when he performed a series of six shows at the Houston Astrodome from 27 February to 1 March 1970. Later that summer, Elvis played a Gretsch Country Gentleman during July 1970 rehearsals at M.G.M. Studios in Culver City, California, and on stage for August 1970 shows at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, both of which were extensively filmed for the 1970 M.G.M. documentary film Elvis: That's the Way It Is. By repute, this guitar was used by Presley at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, in 1969.