Tommy Emmanuel
| Tommy Emmanuel | |
|---|---|
Emmanuel at the Soave Guitar Festival, Italy, May 2010
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Thomas Emmanuel |
| Born |
31 May 1955 Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | Various |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Associated acts | Southern Star Band, Dragon, Jerry Reed, Chet Atkins, Martin Taylor, Hank Marvin |
| Website | www |
| Notable instruments | |
| Maton TE Signature model | |
William Thomas "Tommy" Emmanuel AM (born 31 May 1955) is an Australian guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer, best known for his complex fingerstyle technique, energetic performances and the use of percussive effects on the guitar. Although originally a session player in many bands, Emmanuel has carved out his own style as a solo artist in recent years, releasing award winning albums and singles. In the May 2008 and 2010 issues of Guitar Player Magazine, he was named "Best Acoustic Guitarist" in their readers' poll. In June 2010 Emmanuel was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
Emmanuel was born in Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australia in 1955, one of six children. He received his first guitar in 1959 at age four and was taught by his mother to accompany her playing lap steel guitar. At the age of seven in 1961 he heard Chet Atkins playing on the radio. He vividly remembers this moment and says it greatly inspired him.
By the age of six, in 1961, he was a working professional musician. Recognizing the musical talents of Emmanuel and his older brother, Phil, their father created a family band, sold the home, and took his family on the road. With the family living in two station wagons, much of Emmanuel's childhood was spent touring Australia, playing rhythm guitar, and rarely going to school. Eventually the New South Wales Department of Education insisted that the Emmanuel children had to go to school regularly.
After his father died in 1966, the Emmanuels settled in Parkes. Tommy Emmanuel eventually moved to Sydney where he was noticed nationally when he won a string of talent contests in his teen years. By the late 1970s, he was playing drums with his brother Phil in the group Goldrush as well doing session work on numerous albums and jingles. He gained further prominence in the late 1970s as the lead guitarist in The Southern Star Band, the backing group for vocalist Doug Parkinson. During the early 1980s, he joined the reformed lineup of leading 1970s rock group Dragon, touring widely with them, including a 1987 tour with Tina Turner. He left the group to embark on a solo career.
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