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On this day (May 19) in 1938, Jerry Stembridge was born in Atlanta, Georgia. History remembers him better as Chip Young, the guitarist and producer whose distinctive thumb-style picking graced hundreds of hit songs from some of the biggest names in country music. For instance, he can be heard on songs like Dolly Parton\u2019s \u201cJolene,\u201d Charley Pride\u2019s \u201cKiss an Angel Good Mornin\u2019,\u201d and Kris Kristofferson\u2019s \u201cWhy Me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Young started his career in the late 1950s playing alongside Jerry Reed and singer\/songwriter Joe South. After touring extensively with the duo for years, he signed a deal with Lowery Music in his hometown of Atlanta. There, he wrote songs and recorded demos. According to an obituary<\/a>, Felton Jarvis helped launch his career as an engineer in 1960.<\/p>\n The next year, he joined the United States Army. He finished his service in 1963, moved to Nashville, and started touring with Reed once again. When they weren\u2019t on the road, Young began taking session work as a guitarist. Soon, he was one of the most in-demand pickers in Music City, playing behind the likes of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, and Reed, among others.<\/p>\n Young was also a regular member of Elvis Presley\u2019s studio band. His first sessions were for Elvis Presley\u2019s Grammy-winning 1966 album How Great Thou Art<\/em>. This album, like many of Presley\u2019s remaining releases, was produced by Young\u2019s former Lowery Music teammate, Felton Jarvis.<\/p>\n In 1968, Chip Young purchased a farm outside of Nashville and opened Young \u2018Un Sound, one of the first 16-track studios in the Music City area. There, he oversaw sessions for artists like Joe Ely, Michael Martin Murphey, and Mickey Newbury. Notably, he produced and engineered Billy Swan\u2019s 1974 album I Can Help<\/em>. The LP\u2019s title track topped the Hot Country Songs and Hot 100 charts in the United States. It was also an international smash, reaching No. 1 in multiple countries, including Norway, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and New Zealand.<\/p>\n Bobby Bare Jr. summed up Chip Young\u2019s impact on country music after he died in 2014. \u201cJust try to imagine Dolly Parton\u2019s \u2018Jolene\u2019 without Chip Young\u2019s thumb,\u201d he told Nashville Scene<\/a><\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s impossible. Chip was one of the best, hardest-working session pickers\/producers\/engineers Nashville has ever seen,\u201d he added. \u201cHe was even better at being a granddad, family man, and a Christian. His family will miss him dearly.\u201d<\/p>\n Featured Image by<\/em> Silver Screen Collection\/Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nChip Young Becomes a Producer<\/h3>\n