‘Windy and Warm’ – Watch Chet Atkins Perform this Acoustic Classic on ‘The Johnny Cash Show’
After Chet Atkins first recorded John D. Loudermilk’s “Windy and Warm,” in the spring of 1961, the guitarist made this bouncy instrumental one of his signature tunes. Bluegrass legend Doc Watson followed suit, and CGPs John Knowles and Tommy Emmanuel, among other distinguished players, also added it to their repertoires.
Atkins’ most well-known version, from his 1962 album Down Home, was recorded on an electric guitar with a capo at the third fret, but he often played it on an acoustic nylon-string, without a capo. It will sound just as good whether you play it on, say, a dreadnought or a hollow-body electric—with or without the capo.
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Taken at a moderate tempo, “Windy and Warm” shouldn’t be overly difficult to learn—especially if you’re already familiar with Travis picking…
The text above is excerpted from Adam Perlmutter’s analysis of “Windy and Warm,” which originally appeared in Acoustic Guitar’s March 2018 issue. For the full text of the article, performance notes, and music notation and tablature, head to the Acoustic Guitar Store and pick up a copy.
