Some good things happen to you that stay with you forever. Ten years ago, June 17, 1999, was one of those days.

June 17, 1999 was the ground-breaking of the new Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. To celebrate, the Country Music Foundation put together a marching band -- ALL GUITARS. The "band leader" was none other than Chester Burton Atkins. I was a member of that band.

The most memorable moment came when we were standing around, waiting to be put in line to begin our march (with all the Hall of Famers behind us). Chet was driven out on a golf cart. As he approached everyone stopped talking, turned and faced him, and applauded as he passed by. You couldn't have orchestrated that. No way.

So I got to play with Chet. For my efforts (playing "Wildwood Flower" and "You Are My Sunshine") I received a T-shirt that says, "I pulled strings for the new Hall of Fame."

And I got a treasured memory.