Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center
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Sunday, May 12 @ 8:00 PM

Tommy Emmanuel, CGP

The real-time exuberance Tommy Emmanuel brings to every note of every song he plays ispalpable and infectious. His fans are in love with his unbound talent as a guitarist ofmultitudes, his ability to play three parts at once, always with pure heart and real soul. Heis a true virtuoso. But he seems as delighted always with the magic of the music as theaudience, if not more, and his joy illuminates everything.

It’s one thing to play these multi-dimensional arrangements flawlessly on an acousticguitar. But to do it with that smile of the ages, that evidence of authentic, unbridled delight,is an irresistibly infectious invitation to feel his music as deeply as he does. “The joy, " hesays, “is there always because I’m chasing it through music. Seeing the surprise in peoples’eyes is worth living and working for… I can’t help but play to the people with all my heart,which is overflowing with joy of being in that moment that I’ve worked all my life for. Andhere it is!”

That authentic exuberance Tommy brings to every show and every record is especiallypowerful, given the profound deficit of real joy in so many lives. Tommy’s happiness, likehis music, is pure and expressed in real-time. Nothing is phony. It’s a quality that doesreach far beyond any one language, and it’s instantly understood by all his fellow humans.It’s the reason he smiles so much while playing, and why his audience does as well. Asmany have said, it’s hard not to be happy at his shows. Because his joy, and the timelessriver of inspiration, which is the source, is universally recognized. And it feels good.In 2018, Tommy made the great album, Accomplice One, a series of duets with musiciansgreat and varied, and all at his level. It’s a concept that worked, as the range of artistsreflected Tommy’s expansive love of all kinds of music, including Rodney Crowell, MarkKnopfler, Amanda Shires, Jason Isbell, Jerry Douglas, Jake Shimabukuro and more. Each ofhis accomplices seemed as inspired by his energy and passion as much as Tommy was bytheirs, 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. Thisalbum features rock legends Michael McDonald, Jorma Kaukonen, and Little Feat; bluegrasssuperstars such as Billy Strings, The Del McCoury Band, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, SierraHull, and David Grisman; country icons such as Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Jamey Johnson, andRaul Malo; and guitar heavyweights like Yasmin Williams, Larry Campbell, and RichardSmith. The first single “White Freight Liner Blues” is out now and features the Grammyaward winner and claw hammer guitarist, Molly Tuttle.

Tommy also has a new television special called Accomplice LIVE! which begins airing onPBS in March of 2023. This special features some of Tommy’s best-known songs and duetswith his accomplices such as Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Sierra Hull, YasminWilliams, and many others.

Tommy was born in 1955 in Muswellbrook, New South Wales Australia, and startedplaying the guitar at age four. In his twenties, he was the most sought-after performer andsession musician in Sydney. By age 30, he was burning on electric guitar with several rockbands in stadiums across Europe. He could have gone on to live the rock star life. Yet, heyearned for something purer and closer to his heart. Casting off the reliable rock bandengine of monstrous sonics blasting, Tommy went acoustic.

The inspiration for Tommy’s transformation was his hero, Chet Atkins, who representedthe purity of one man, one guitar, and unlimited passionate for serving the song. EventuallyTommy met his hero and started a lifelong friendship which shaped Tommy’s musicforever. Chet welcomed Tommy into guitarist knighthood by bestowing upon him thecoveted title of CGP (Certified Guitar Player), an honor awarded only to four other humansever, and they 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 Chetrecognized 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 theworld to multiple Grammy nominations, ARIA Awards, IBMA Awards, and countless “BestAcoustic Guitarist” wins in numerous music magazine readers polls…. the world is takingnotice.

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