Tommy Emmanuel is a famous guitar virtuoso. The master of the most unique improvisational technique has twice become a nominee for a Grammy award. Awarded the titles "Thumbpicker of the Year" and "Certified Guitar Player".
William Thomas Emmanuel, who became famous as Tommy Emmanuel, is a native of the Australian town of Muswellbrook. The musician goes on tour around the world. According to him, he always strives first of all to learn to speak the local language "thank you" in order to thank the public.
The path to the musical Olympus
The biography of the virtuoso began in 1955. The child was born on the last day of May. A four-year-old kid has mastered the guitar on his own. Tommy has no professional education, so he jokes that he cannot read sheet music with tablatures and is content with hearing.
The guitarist's older brother Phil, at seven, created his own band, The Emmanuel Quartet. Tommy also joined the Emmanuel family quartet, also known as The Trailblazers and The Midget Surfaries. He got the rhythm section. Chris played drums and Sister Virginia played the slide guitar.
After a few months of rehearsals, the guys started performing in public. Since then, the brothers have not left the stage. The father organized small tours for the children. For the first time in 1962, Tommy heard the American guitarist Chet Atkins. The Nashville musician's playing technique amazed the boy.
Emmanuel listened to the discs for a long time, trying to understand the intricacies of using the instrument. In 1966 he wrote a letter to his idol. To the guy's surprise, the answer came quickly. Subsequently, Chet became a mentor to the virtuoso after a personal meeting. After his father passed away, country musician Buddy Williams took up touring issues. However, soon the children were banned from traveling and the group members were sent to study.
Career
At school, Tommy did not leave the game. He played at The Trailblazers on weekends and taught guitar since 12. The boy's teaching ability turned out to be amazing, and soon he was perceived in the same way as adult musicians. The guitarist won the Young Talents Television Contest. This allowed him to record his debut disc.
The musician moved to Sydney to start a career. In the early seventies, Emmanuel achieved fame as a session guitarist from performing in city clubs. He received recognition as a universal. In the early eighties, the musician participated in the recordings of the groups "Men at Work", "Air Supply". The meeting with Chet Atkins took place in 1980 during a trip to the States.
The idol introduced the fan to other famous performers. Thanks to Chet, the virtuoso learned to improvise and acquired an extensive repertoire. In 1985 Emmanuel became a member of one of the most famous rock bands in Australia "Dragon". The musicians recorded the platinum album Dreams of Ordinary Men. In 1987 he took part in Tina Turner's Break Every Rule tour.
During the event, the musician met his future wife Jane. Young people became husband and wife. The family had two children, daughters Angelina and Amanda. After 15 years, the marriage broke up.
Together with Steve Kipner, Ell Jarreau, Sheena Easton and Olivia Newton-John, the guitarist worked as a composer. In 1988 he began his solo career as an instrumental musician. The disc "Up From Down Under" set a sales record. The performer gained fame at home, as well as in Europe and Asia.
In 1997, the album "Midnight Drive" for 16 weeks remained in the top five on the American radio station NAC. This made the guitarist famous in the States. Together with Chet, the disc "The Day The Finger Pickers Took Over The World" turned into a Grammy nomination.
Confession
Atkins presented Tommy "Certified Guitar Player" with one of the most significant awards for the student in 1999. The guitarist received the prize for his contribution to the development of the finger style of playing the instrument. This title is held by only a few musicians in the world. Proud of the recognition, Tommy put the acronym C. G. P. on his guitar.
With his older brother Emmanuel performed on October 1, 2000 in Sydney at the closing of the Olympic Games. Towards the end of the year, he took part in the famous Walnut Valley Festival, recorded his first acoustic disc, "Only". In 2002, the presentation of the new disc took place in the States.
Since the beginning of the 2000s, the popularity of the Australian artist has grown rapidly. He gave concerts, constantly talked about him in the media. Tommy entered the National Thumbpickers Hall of Fame. At the same time, the guitarist took part in a concert dedicated to Les Paul's 90th birthday.
In 2006, he was nominated for a second Grammy, and in 2008, Emmanuel was awarded the title of Best Acoustic Guitarist by renowned music magazines, and he was also awarded the Thumbpicker of the Year title. The musician received the Royal Order of Australia on July 14, 2010 for his service to the community by supporting the charitable organization "Kids Under Cover" and music.
Family and vocation
At the end of the season, Tommy was invited to work on the completion of Michael Jackson's recordings. Emmanuelle performed a solo in the unreleased track "Much Too Soon" by Jackson. The guitarist released his two-disc solo album "Little By Little" in mid-February 2011.
In total, Tommy has released over 20 studio discs. Among them are electric duets with acoustic duets, quartets, trios. The fans also received several concert and educational DVDs and many master classes. During the year, the virtuoso played over 300 concerts for five years.
The musician continues his performances. Fans call Emmanuel the magic guitarist from Oz. The musician is distinguished by striking energy, amazing humor and incredible charisma.
The famous guitarist has re-arranged his personal life. His second wife is a native of Korea. Together they love to travel. In 2014, Tommy became a father again. The baby was named Rachel.
The father hopes that his daughter will choose a career as a musician. He dreams of teaching her how to play the guitar. However, the younger Emmanuelle is free to choose the future.
