Jimmy Bryant

Reknown for such blistering, clean guitar work that Chet Atkins claimed he "could never get in his league," Jimmy Bryant's impact on country, bluegrass, and rockabilly is immeasurable. After honing his jazz-influenced fast-country style in the army, he moved to Los Angeles, where he started on radio before joining Cliffie Stone's lead guitarist in Hometown Jamboree. A prolific session musician, his handicraft appears on records by country legends Roy Rogers and Tennessee Ernie Ford as well as Bing Crosby, Stan Kenton, and even, in later years, the Monkees. Bryant's most enduring work came in collaboration with steel guitarist Speedy West, with whom he recorded the legendary album, , in 1954.