Atcher was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States,[1] and learned violin and guitar from his father, who was a champion fiddle player.

[1] He scored two solo hits with versions of "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes"[1] and Ernest Tubb's "Walking the Floor Over You".

On May 5, 1942, in his last session before joining the United States Army, he and Bonnie Blue Eyes recorded "Pins and Needles (In My Heart)" by Fred Rose, which charted for most of 1943, and went on to become a standard for the wartime era.

Broadcast on alternate Saturday mornings from Chicago, the Western children's program had members of the audience participating in follow-the-leader activities.

[3] Atcher, like Gene Autry, was a shrewd businessman, and bought several businesses and invested in banking, with the proceeds from his career.