Friends in Faith

DOYLE DYKES LONG ago surrendered his career to his deeply held Christian faith. His illustrious “life behind the guitar” (the title of his 2017 album) has been a journey on which he has encountered many kindred spirits, including his mentor and friend Chet Atkins, who called Dykes “one of the finest fingerpicking guitarists around.”

“I didn’t take guitar lessons,” Dykes says. “I went to the Chet Atkins school of pickin’. Chet used a thumb pick most of the time, and did everything with his right hand. He played the guitar like a piano. He played the bass, and then the rhythm, alternating between his thumb and fingers with his strumming hand. It would be like rocking your hand on the piano keys. I once bought a Del Vecchio guitar for Chet. He later gave me one of his guitars, saying, ‘I’ve always appreciated what you do with the church, and I have something I’d