Chet did what he did best, play guitar and produce music. He was not a songwriter. Didn't need to be. But he's one stop shopping for fantastic and accessible instrumental interpretations of many tunes by many artists. One of the most listenable and "musical" artists ever IMHO.
Been looking to dig into some Merle Travis in the near future as well. He was a big influence on Atkins and many a guitar player as well.