Songwriter and a performer, Tommy Emmanuel is a melting pot of influences across genres, form pop to bluegrass and jazz to rock n’ roll. To him, music is rhythm and emotion, all other distinctions are meaningless.
The legendary entertainer has dazzled audiences across the world. Tommy has a Grammy Award, multiple ARIA Awards and countless accolades, but nothing means more to Tommy than the three letters Chet Atkins designated at the end of Tommy’s name: C.G.P. The title of Certified Guitar Player was the highest honor Atkins could bestow on another player – a signifier that the recipient had not only mastered the instrument but taken it to new vistas and become a guiding light for the next generation of pickers.
Anyone who has seen Tommy play will tell you, the vocalist is there, as is the drummer, the bass player and the rhythm and lead guitarists. In a way that must often be seen to be believed, Tommy plays all the parts of a full band simultaneously, his fingers dancing around the fretboard with a dexterity and speed that would seem impossible if you weren’t witnessing it.
Tommy’s determination to entertain and move audiences through the power of music, remains undimmed as he closes in on his seventh decade as a performer.