Tommy Emmanuel is a famous virtuoso guitarist. The master of the most unique improvisational technique twice became a nominee for the Grammy Award. Awarded the titles of "Thumbpicker of the Year" and "Certified Guitar Player".
William Thomas Emmanuel, who became famous under the name Tommy Emmanuel, is a native of the Australian town of Muswellbrook. The musician is touring around the world. According to him, he always seeks first and foremost to learn to speak the local language “thank you” in order to thank the audience.
The path to the musical Olympus
The biography of a virtuoso began in 1955. The baby was born on the last day of May. On their own, a four-year-old kid mastered the guitar. Tommy does not have professional education, so he jokes that he does not know how to read sheet music with tabs and is content with hearing.
Guitarist's older brother Phil created his own band, The Emmanuel Quartet, at seven. Tommy also joined the family of the Emmanuel family, also known as The Trailblazers and The Midget Surfaries. He got the rhythm section. Chris was engaged in drums, and sister Virginia played on a slide guitar.
After several months of rehearsal, the guys began introducing in public. From that moment, the brothers did not leave the scene. Small tours for children were organized by the father. For the first time in 1962, Tommy heard the American guitarist Chet Atkins. The playing technique of the Nashville musician hit the boy.
Emmanuel listened to the discs for a long time, trying to understand the intricacies of owning the instrument. In 1966, he wrote a letter to his idol. To the guy's surprise, the answer came quickly. Subsequently, Chet became a virtuoso mentor after a personal meeting. After his father passed away, country musician Buddy Williams took up touring issues. However, children were soon banned from traveling and sent members of the group to study.
Career
At school, Tommy did not leave the game. He performed at The Trailblazers on weekends, and also trained guitar from 12. The boy’s teaching abilities turned out to be amazing, and soon perceived him the same way as adult musicians. The guitarist won the telecompetition of young talents. This allowed him to record a debut disc.
The musician moved to Sydney to start a career. In the early seventies, Emmanuel from his performances in city clubs, Tommy achieved fame session guitarist. Recognition he received as a wagon. In the early eighties, the musician participated in the recordings of the groups "Men at Work", "Air Supply". The meeting with the Chet Atkins took place in 1980 during a trip to the States.
Idol introduced the fan to other famous artists. Thanks to Chet, the virtuoso learned to improvise and gained a vast repertoire. In 1985, Emmanuel became part of one of Australia's most famous rock bands, Dragon. The musicians recorded the platinum album Dreams of Ordinary Men. In 1987, he participated in the Tina Turner tour "Break Every Rule".
During the event, the musician met his future wife Jane. Young people became husband and wife. Two children appeared in the family, the daughters Angelina and Amanda. After 15 years, the marriage broke up.
Together with Steve Kipner, Ell Jarro, Sheena Easton and Olivia Newton-John, the guitarist worked as a composer. In 1988, the solo career of an instrumental musician began. The disc "Up From Down Under" set a record for sales. The performer gained fame at home, as well as in Europe and Asia.
In 1997, Midnight Drive remained in the top five on NAC's American radio station for 16 weeks. This made the guitarist famous in the States. Joint disk "The Day The Finger Pickers Took Over The World" turned into a Grammy nomination.
Confession
Atkins handed Tommy "Certified Guitar Player" 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. Such a title is only a few musicians of the world. Proud of Tommy's Recognition, CGP Acronym
With his older brother, Emmanuel spoke on October 1, 2000 in Sydney at the close of the Olympic Games. By the end of the year, he took part in the famous Walnut Valley Festival and recorded his first acoustic disc, Only. In 2002, the presentation of the new disc in the United States.
Since the beginning of the 2000s, the popularity of the Australian artist has grown rapidly. He gave concerts, they constantly talked about him in the media. Tommy entered the National Thumbpickers Hall of Fame. Then the guitarist participated in a concert on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of Les Paul.
In 2006 there was a second Grammy nomination, and in 2008 Emmanuel was awarded the title of best acoustic guitarist by well-known music magazines, and he was awarded the title "Thumbpicker of the Year". The musician received the Royal Order of Australia on July 14, 2010 for serving the community with support for the Kids Under Cover charity and music.
