C.G.P. stands for Certified Guitar Player. This is a designation that Chet Atkins assigned to guitar players who excelled far beyond the normal line of playing. He handed this title out only to four guitar players in his lifetime. After his death, his daughter (on behalf of his estate) conferred it on last recipient – Paul Yandell, Chet’s longtime band leader and co-guitarist.
Tommy Emmanuel gives some background in this interview. He says that Chet felt that universities gave out degrees for four years of work, but where was the award for a life time of contributing to the guitar world? Tommy mentions that a group went to the governors of all the states in the U.S. and got this designation made official.
The Five Guitar Players Designated “C.G.P.”
1. Tommy Emmanuel
Tommy Emmanuel is an Australian guitar player who’s popularity has surged in recent years via YouTube, and thanks to his incredible thumbpick-fueled acoustic playing.
Tommy has a variety of lessons available. If you’re interested in his style, check out the courses at Truefire.com. Tommy teaches them himself, giving you a firsthand look at how he plays his amazing tunes.
Course Links:
- Fingerstyle Milestones >>
- Tommy Emmanuel’s Fingerstyle Breakthroughs >>
- Tommy Emmanuel’s Certified Gems >>
- Tommy Emmanuel’s Certified Gems 2 >>
2. John Knowles
John Knowles has played and/or recorded with some of the best fingerstyle players around – Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, Lenny Breau and Tommy Emmanuel. He also runs Fingerstyle Quarterly, where he provides tab and arrangements for “gig-ready” playing. You can check him out playing with Tommy Emmanuel on their recent album, Heart Songs.
Knowles has vide lessons available online at:
3. Jerry Reed
In addition to being the craggy actor from “Smokey and the Bandit” (1977), Jerry Reed was also a consummate musician and guitarist. In fact he wrote and performed the main song “East Bound and Down” for that very movie.
While Reed didn’t provide any lessons himself, there is a great course that covers his style:
4. Steve Wariner
Steve Wariner is a singer, songwriter, and amazing guitarist. He’s won a host of awards, written top songs for the big names in country, and continues to tour, write, and perform.
You can get lessons from his YouTube channel, as well as some old instructional DVDs, but heads up that he plays all styles, so some of it is acoustic fingerstyle and some is electric guitar-oriented.
5. Paul Yandell
Paul Yandell was the longtime sideman of Chet Atkins, performing with him for more than two decades. Yandell recorded with Atkins throughout most of his career, but in later years recorded several solo albums.
As noted above, Yandell was made C.G.P. posthumously by Chet Atkins daughter.
Note: “C.G.P.” is also an album by Chet Atkins from 1988.
Learn From the Best
Tommy Emmanuel offers a number of fingerstyle guitar courses. So if you’re interested in learning the ways of the Jedi Master (when it comes to fingerstyle guitar, that is), then here’s your ticket:
More Courses from Tommy Emmanuel:
- Tommy Emmanuel’s Fingerstyle Breakthroughs >>
- Tommy Emmanuel’s Certified Gems >>
- Tommy Emmanuel’s Certified Gems 2 >>
- Little by Little Songbook >>
I love the tribute to Chet Atkins by the Statler Brothers.
Personally, I think anyone should be able to refer to themselves as a C.G.P. if they have an advanced skill on the guitar. I don’t think you need to bestowed the title.
Where is Ray Cummins ? a true master
The last shall be first. Actually, the first recipient of the CGP by Chet Atkins, and quite possibly the man whose playing suggested the idea of a “CGP” to Chet in the first place, was Chet’s friend, contemporary, and fellow Gretsch National Company Artist, Dean Turner of Fort Worth, Texas. Dean’s recording work, much like Chet’s, is self-produced, and among Dean Turner’s cassette tapes, CD’s, and VHS video instructional tapes, is truly some of the greatest finger-style guitar work ever recorded. And yes, Chet certainly gave the honor to Marcel Dadi and Muriel Anderson, also.
He also gave it to Marcel Dadi and Muriel Anderson – that’s often forgotten though!
2:10
Marcel Dadi was also a CGP, and a personal friend of Chet’s. Chet Atkins says so himself in a video on youtube where he is with Jerry Reed on a TV show in the 80’s.
I can think of one more guitar player that should be a CGP, a master of anything with strings, Roy Clark.