“I’m on this wild journey, just making it up as I go, and I’m thrilled that so many people are having fun joining along with me.”
Hailed as “one of the best acoustic guitarists in the world” by NPR’s World Cafe, by the time he was in his early 20s, Emmanuel was playing on chart-topping hits and performing with acts like Air Supply and Men at Work.
Inspired in part by his hero Atkins (who would later become a friend, mentor and collaborator), Emmanuel started a career as a solo artist in 1979, releasing the first in a string of acclaimed instrumental albums.
In the decades that followed, he would go on to headline everywhere from the Sydney Opera House to Carnegie Hall, and tour with luminaries like Eric Clapton and John Denver.
He also won a Grammy Award for best instrumental arrangement, performed for a televised audience of more than two billion at the Sydney Olympics, and collaborated with a who’s who of fellow guitar greats, including Les Paul, Mark Knopfler, Joe Walsh, Richard Thompson, Jason Isbell and Billy Strings.
“As I get older, I find myself taking a lot more risks, and having a lot more fun in the process,” said Emmanuel, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday.
“When young people come to my shows and have this awakening that it’s okay to be different, that the possibilities of music and self-expression are limitless, that’s what it’s all about for me.”
Recorded in just four days, Emmanuel’s latest album Living In The Light stands as the most daring – and most rewarding – collection in the globetrotting fingerpicker’s remarkable catalogue, fusing his pop, jazz, classical and roots influences into a virtuosic masterwork.
Songs from the album that have been played at recent shows include Black and White to Colour, A Drowning Heart, Scarlet’s World, Gdansk and a stunning version of Kiwi singer-songwriter Sharon O’Neill’s song, Maxine.
They sit comfortably alongside great songs like Lady Madonna, Mombasa (a song that’s very special to him), Doc’s Guitar, Waltzing Matilda, Imagine, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Over The Rainbow, Angelina, Classical Gas and Guitar Boogie.
Many are instantly recognisable – once heard, they are unforgettable.
Make that someone special in your life feel like the star on top of the Christmas tree by giving them a ticket to Tommy for Christmas.
The Details
What: Tommy Emmanuel with special guest Mike Dawes.
When: May 17 – Auckland Town Hall, May 19 – Waikato Regional Theatre (Hamilton), May 21 – Regent Theatre (Palmerston North), May 22 – Wellington Opera House, May 23 – Isaac Theatre (Christchurch).
Tickets: davidroywilliams.com.
Win: A double pass to Tommy Emmanuel in Hamilton. To be in the draw email your name, address and daytime phone number(s) to hnfthcomps@gmail.com, with Tommy Emmanuel in the subject, by midday Friday, December 19.
Competition by Fill The House Tickets Project — proudly supporting families living with cancer.
