5 Reasons you’ll fall in love with Tommy Emmanuel

 

 

1.) He’s a family man. Emmanuel’s love of music started at the age of four, on his birthday, when his mother bought him a guitar to learn how to play after noticing him playing with the strings on hers. Then by the age of six, he started working to be a professional musician with his brother and father. Their father sold the house and they began going on tour in a family band.

2.) He has a few tricks up his sleeve. During the Summer Olympics of 2000, Emmanuel and his brother, Phil, performed for the closing ceremony. During a few songs in this performance, the brothers shared a guitar that each played with one hand at the same time.

3.) He can be spontaneous. At the age of 16, Emmanuel once tried to sell his electric guitar and land a job working on cars in a garage. This only lasted a month, though, until a show came to town and Emmanuel found himself playing with the band that night and joining them on the road the next morning.

4.) He has compassion. Back in 2010, Emmanuel auctioned off his guitars for UNICEF, to help raise funds for the children of Haiti after the devastating earthquakes struck.

5.) He’s a timeless character. During an episode in season 10 of “American Dad,” Emmanuel’s rendition of “Classical Gas” by Mason Williams was played by Roger Smith in a coffee shop battle.

 

Plan a trip to DeVos Performance Hall this Valentine’s Day and fall in love with Tommy Emmanuel! Tickets can be purchased here.

 

Special Tommy Emmanuel Performance Airs on PBS This Week

“Certified Guitar Player” Performs at DeVos Performance Hall on September 29

Before he makes a stop to perform live in DeVos Performance Hall this September, fans of legendary guitarist and two-time Grammy Nominee Tommy Emmanuel can catch a glimpse of what to expect this week. US Public Broadcasting TV stations across the country will be airing “Tommy Emmanuel & Friends: Live at the Balboa Theatre.” WGVU will air the special on Wednesday, June 8 at 8PM.

Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Pam Rose was one to join Emmanuel during the February taping, performing two songs including “I’ll Still Be Loving You.” Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo also joined the fun before fellow Aussie Anthony Snape connects with Emmanuel to much of the audience’s delight.

Balboa Theatre is located in downtown San Diego, California. Built in 1924 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, Balboa Theatre served as a great place for a great performance. Click here for a promo reel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlZZO6llhIY&feature=player_embedded#at=64.

Tickets to the 8pm performance on September 29 are $35 and $45. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 17 at 10am and may be purchased at the DeVos Place and Van Andel Arena box offices, online at ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Certified Guitar Player Tommy Emmanuel Bringing his “Finger Style” to Grand Rapids

Two-time Grammy Nominee Playing DeVos Performance Hall in September

Legendary guitarist and two-time Grammy Nominee, Tommy Emmanuel has garnered hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide. A household name in his native Australia, Emmanuel will play several North American shows including a stop in Grand Rapids’ DeVos Performance Hall on September 29 at 8PM. The Grand Rapids performance will include special guests, Pam Rose and Anthony Snape.

Tickets are $35 and $45. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 17 at 10 AM and may be purchased at the DeVos Place and Van Andel Arena box offices, online at ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Known for his unique style—what he calls “finger style”—Emmanuel plays the guitar the way a pianist plays the piano. Using all ten fingers to perform the melody, rhythm, bass, and drums, Emmanuel can use his sole guitar as a whole band. His versatility has taken Emmanuel from international Jazz Festivals to shows with the Sydney Philharmonic, The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and performances for the Masai people in remote areas of Kenya.

Born into a musical family, Tommy was considered a child prodigy. In 1962, Tommy heard Nashville guitarist Chet Atkins' music for the first time and was riveted by the complexity of Atkins' solo sound. He spent hours trying to figure out the "fingerpicking" style and gobbled up each of the American star's albums as they came out.

After Tommy's appearance with his brother Phil in the Closing Ceremonies of the Sydney Olympic Games and his debut at the famous Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas, in late 2000, Americans wanted to know who this mysterious Australian guitar virtuoso was. In 2001, Emmanuel released his first solo-acoustic album, ONLY, and in 2002 it debuted in the U.S. Emmanuel's popularity in the US has grown by leaps and bounds, aided by a non-stop touring schedule and increasing exposure in the media. Since 2005, Tommy was inducted into the National Thumbpickers' Hall of Fame in Muhlenberg, KY (the only non-American ever to be selected) and awarded with Thumbpicker of the Year and Album of the Year by the group, as well. He played Carnegie Hall for Les Paul's 90th birthday Tribute Concert. His ‘The Mystery’ album earned a Grammy nomination in 2006 for Best Country Instrumental for 'Gameshow Rag/Cannonball Rag'. In 2008, Guitar Player Magazine and Acoustic Guitar Magazine named him Best Acoustic Guitarist and Gold Medalist - Fingerstyle category in the Readers' Choice and Players' Choice Awards, respectively.

In Nashville in 1999, Tommy was honored by his mentor, Chet Atkins with the title of “Certified Guitar Player” for his contribution to fingerstyle guitar, a rare distinction shared by only three other people in the world (Jerry Reed, Steve Wariner and John Knowles). It was a crowning moment for Emmanuel and a title the self-proclaimed "humble, uneducated, country kid" from Down Under takes very seriously.