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Tommy Emmanuel at Newberry Opera House

Wednesday, December 11 @ 7:00 pm

$90 – $135

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Event Details

The real-time exuberance Tommy Emmanuel brings to every note of every song he plays is palpable and infectious. His fans are in love with his unbound talent as a guitarist of multitudes and his ability to play three parts at once, always with pure heart and real soul. He is a true virtuoso.

Description

Tommy was born in 1955 in Muswellbrook, New South Wales Australia, and started playing the guitar at age four. In his twenties, he was the most sought-after performer and session musician in Sydney. By age 30, he was burning on electric guitar with several Rock bands in stadiums across Europe. He could have gone on to live the Rock star life. Yet, he yearned for something purer and closer to his heart. Casting off the reliable Rock band engine of monstrous sonics blasting, Tommy went acoustic. The inspiration for Tommy’s transformation was his hero, Chet Atkins, who represented the purity of one man, one guitar, and unlimited passion for serving the song. Eventually, Tommy met his hero and started a lifelong friendship which shaped Tommy’s music forever.

Chet welcomed Tommy into guitarist knighthood by bestowing upon him the coveted title of CGP (Certified Guitar Player), an honor awarded only to four other humans ever. They also recorded an album together, “The Day Finger Pickers Took Over the World.” Receiving the love and esteem of Chet lifted Tommy into a different realm. Because as Chet recognized instantly and told the world, “Musicians like this don’t come along that often; pay attention to this man.” And people have paid attention from sold out shows all over the world to multiple Grammy ® nominations, ARIA Awards, IBMA Awards, and countless “Best Acoustic Guitarist” wins in numerous music magazine readers polls….the world is taking notice.

In 2018, Tommy made the great album, “Accomplice One,” a series of duets with musicians great and varied, and all at his level. It’s a concept that worked, as the range of artists reflected Tommy’s expansive love of all kinds of music, including Rodney Crowell, Mark Knopfler, Amanda Shires, Jason Isbell, Jerry Douglas, Jake Shimabukuro, and more. Each of his accomplices seemed as inspired by his energy and passion as much as Tommy was by theirs, and he played with effortless grace.

Now comes the long-awaited sequel, “Accomplice Two.” It shares the same exuberance, diversity, and sense of adventure as the first album, with a great range of artists. This album features rock legends Michael McDonald, Jorma Kaukonen, and Little Feat; Bluegrass superstars such as Billy Strings, The Del McCoury Band, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Sierra Hull, and David Grisman; country icons such as Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Jamey Johnson, and Raul Malo; and guitar heavyweights like Yasmin Williams, Larry Campbell, and Richard Smith. The first single “White Freight Liner Blues” is out now and features the Grammy® award winner and claw hammer guitarist, Molly Tuttle.

Tommy also has a new television special called “Accomplice LIVE!” which began airing on PBS in March of 2023. These special features some of Tommy’s best-known songs and duets with his accomplices such as Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Sierra Hull, Yasmin Williams, and many others.