Tommy Emmanuel is a household name in his native country of Australia. He is perhaps the most successful instrumental artist of Australia to date and has achieved worldwide recognition he deserves.
Born in Australia, he began playing the guitar at the age of four, after his mother gave him the guitar and his first lesson.
Then at the tender age of six, he began touring the Australian outback with his family (two brothers and one sister). The group was billed as The Midget Surfaries.
At the ripe old age of seven, he heard Chet Atkins and that was a real turning point for him in terms of style that he wanted to play and develop.\r\nSince then he has worked with many bands and various styles of music from country to classical and from jazz to rock.
He has worked with Chet Atkins, Michael Bolton, Eric Clapton, John Denver, Olivia Newton-John, Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder and many others. One of his biggest delights was recording The Day the Fingerpickers Took Over the World with his idol and guitar legend Chet Atkins.
Tommy’s career has carried him many times around the globe. He has played at the Grand Ole Opry and The Opera House in Sydney. He has played for the King of Thailand and the Prime Minister of Australia. He was the Australian Entertainer of the Year in 1995 and again in 1997 and a year later he won the Nashville Music Award for Fingerpickers.
Emmanuel resides in the UK and continues to tour the world, taking his music to the people. In 1999 he received the guitar world’s highest honor when Chet Atkins in Nashville presented him the C.G.P. (Certified Guitar Player) award.