The Two time Grammy Nominee and the appointed Member of the Order of Australia (AM) Tommy Emmanuel is considered to be one of the most soulful and charismatic finger-style guitar players of all times. With a successful career spanning more than five decades, the incredible artist refuses to slow down and he is still on his way to more live performances. Tommy Emmanuel tickets are selling as hot as they used to in the early days of his career. His busy routines and constant performances are a testimony to his ever increasing popularity and fan following.
A Born Star
The music talents of the incredible artist Tommy Emmanuel are all self learned without any formal music education. He got his first guitar when he was only four years old. His first job was to accompany his mother playing lap steel guitar. By the time Emmanuel was six years old, he was already working as a professional musician in the family band. His childhood was spent touring Australia and playing rhythm guitar with his family.
In his teen years, Emmanuel started getting noticed after he won several talent contests. The Seventies put him up officially in the list of musicians when he became the lead guitarist of The Southern Star Band. At the same time he was in much demand as the sideman and a session player by several noteworthy bands and artists including Eric Clapton, Air Supply, Les Paul and Edgar Cruz.
Journey to Stardom
Tommy Emmanuel has gained quite a name by performing with several popular bands of the day. In the eighties he joined one of the biggest rock bands of the decade, Dragon. He was a part of the band in their platinum album, titled ‘Dreams of Ordinary Men’. However, the solo career that Emmanuel pursued later is what marks his real stardom. It was during this time that Tommy finally got to meet and perform with his idol, Chet Atkins. The influence that Atkins had on Emmanuel is still evident, not only in his music but also in his personal philosophy, musical innovations and technical precisions. Atkins and Emmanuel recorded an album together in 1996, titled ‘The Day the Finger Pickers Took over the World’, which also earned Emmanuel his first Grammy Award nomination.
In 2001, Tommy Emmanuel released his first solo-acoustic album, titled ‘Only’ followed by a tour. After this his popularity grew by leaps and bounds and he also gained immense media exposure further adding to his soaring fan following. His second album ‘The Mystery earned him another Grammy nomination and also led the Guitar Player Magazine and Acoustic Guitar Magazine to conclude him as the Best Acoustic Guitarist, in 2008. The repertoire of Emmanuel includes more than twenty musical recordings, duets, solos, covers, tunes, originals and ensembles, with both electric and acoustic guitars.
Some Solo Smash-Hits & Highlights
Although the first acoustic-album by the star was released in 2000s, Emmanuel’s first solo album came out about thirteen years earlier, in 1988, titled ‘Up from Down Under’ followed by his 1993 release ‘The Journey’. Both the albums climbed up the charts and also received much critical acclaim. After the smash hit release of 2001 album with Chet Atkins, Emmanuel released ‘Endless Road’ in 2002. The 2006 release ‘Happy Hour’ was again a massive success with scores of sales and fans. Although Tommy Emmanuel took a small break from his career in 2007due to health reasons primarily, his return with a double CD release ‘Center Stage’ allowed him to continue with his stardom. His latest hit release ‘The Colonel and the Governor’ was released this year, featuring Martin Taylor as well. Fans are in a hurry to buy Tommy Emmanuel tickets and are impatiently waiting for the next concert from their favorite star.