Chet Atkins, Smooth playa

Nobody plays this smoothly and understated. Chet Atkins reinvented country guitar playing and guitar playing in general. Here's a clip of him and the lovely Anita Carter.

In his list of the ten most influential guitarists of all time, Atkins rightly included himself (though, modestly, mid list):

1. Django Reinhardt

then the others, in no particular order:

Charlie Christian
Eddie Lang
Merle Travis
Chet Atkins
Augustin Barrios
Les Paul
Wes Montgomery
Lenny Breau
Johnny Smith
Jimi Hendrix