Mr. One Man Band
Legendary guitarist Tommy Emmanuel is a two-time Grammy nominee and one of the greatest musicians in the world today. His love and dedication to the guitar, shows why he is one of the greatest players in the world. Emmanuel’s professional career has been going on for over fifty years and he continues to play over three hundred concerts a year. It is no small fact that this man is referred to as being the greatest acoustic guitar player alive with musicians such as; Steve Vai, Chet Atkins, Martin Taylor, Eric Clapton, and even Les Paul himself praising Tommy for his jaw-dropping performances. Tommy is often referred to as a One Man Band because of the style he plays. He incorporates melody, bass, rhythm, percussion, and harmonies …show more content…
In an interview for MusicCountry Cable Television, Tommy’s mother, Virginia stated: “When Tommy was born I took him home. I used to feed him and then put him in the crib; and then I would sit him up against the stereo and put an LP on. And if he didn’t have that he would be crying. He needed his music”. At the age of four Tommy received his first guitar. His mother taught him some of the basic chords and how to accompany the lap steel guitar. Tommy Emmanuel never received formal guitar training aside from his mother. He learned everything by using his ear. If he heard something he wanted to play, he would listen and try to figure it out only using his ear, and he would never quit until he learned the whole song all the way through. Tommy never knew there was a bass player in every band. So when he learned songs he thought the rhythm guitar player was playing the bass and rhythm. It was not until much later did Tommy finally see a bass guitar and understood what its role was. But this “accident” is what set the course for Tommy’s future as a one man …show more content…
While listening to the radio, Tommy heard a sound that he had never heard before. It was legendary guitarist Chet Atkins playing Windy and Warm. A song that requires you to play backing, rhythm, and lead all at the same time. When Tommy heard this song his mind exploded, and he knew that he had to learn this song. When Windy and Warm came out many people said that it was a recording trick, and that it was not possible to play all those things at once. But somehow Tommy heard that Chet was playing all those parts on one guitar. This motivated Tommy to work out the song and prove everybody wrong. This is what opened the door for his unique, and unmatched style of playing.
When Tommy was around the age of six he became a full time professional musician. He and his brother Phil were extremely talented at guitar. Their father recognized their love and dedication towards playing the guitar, and started a family band. They sold their house and began to travel on the road. The Emmanuel family traveled all over Australia playing
Legendary guitarist Tommy Emmanuel is a two-time Grammy nominee and one of the greatest musicians in the world today. His love and dedication to the guitar, shows why he is one of the greatest players in the world. Emmanuel’s professional career has been going on for over fifty years and he continues to play over three hundred concerts a year. It is no small fact that this man is referred to as being the greatest acoustic guitar player alive with musicians such as; Steve Vai, Chet Atkins, Martin Taylor, Eric Clapton, and even Les Paul himself praising Tommy for his jaw-dropping performances. Tommy is often referred to as a One Man Band because of the style he plays. He incorporates melody, bass, rhythm, percussion, and harmonies …show more content…
In an interview for MusicCountry Cable Television, Tommy’s mother, Virginia stated: “When Tommy was born I took him home. I used to feed him and then put him in the crib; and then I would sit him up against the stereo and put an LP on. And if he didn’t have that he would be crying. He needed his music”. At the age of four Tommy received his first guitar. His mother taught him some of the basic chords and how to accompany the lap steel guitar. Tommy Emmanuel never received formal guitar training aside from his mother. He learned everything by using his ear. If he heard something he wanted to play, he would listen and try to figure it out only using his ear, and he would never quit until he learned the whole song all the way through. Tommy never knew there was a bass player in every band. So when he learned songs he thought the rhythm guitar player was playing the bass and rhythm. It was not until much later did Tommy finally see a bass guitar and understood what its role was. But this “accident” is what set the course for Tommy’s future as a one man …show more content…
While listening to the radio, Tommy heard a sound that he had never heard before. It was legendary guitarist Chet Atkins playing Windy and Warm. A song that requires you to play backing, rhythm, and lead all at the same time. When Tommy heard this song his mind exploded, and he knew that he had to learn this song. When Windy and Warm came out many people said that it was a recording trick, and that it was not possible to play all those things at once. But somehow Tommy heard that Chet was playing all those parts on one guitar. This motivated Tommy to work out the song and prove everybody wrong. This is what opened the door for his unique, and unmatched style of playing.
When Tommy was around the age of six he became a full time professional musician. He and his brother Phil were extremely talented at guitar. Their father recognized their love and dedication towards playing the guitar, and started a family band. They sold their house and began to travel on the road. The Emmanuel family traveled all over Australia playing