Tommy Emmanuel, CGP After years of almost meeting Mr. Tommy Emmanuel, I was Blessed with one of my most important dreams becoming a reality. I met and spent time with, now may I say Tommy, on Monday January 16th, 2023. What an honor for myself and for all of my Evans Family Members who Each love Tommy So Very Much. I have recorded many Great Guitarists in my career, including Doc Watson, Merle Watson, Johnny Winter, Rich Williams, Snooks Eaglin, Jeff Pollard, Willie Nelson, Jim Odom, Tony Haselden, Kerry Livgren, etc. I have seen live performances of countless others in my life. To Me, The Greatest Guitarist I have ever been exposed to is Mr. Tommy Emmanuel. Now I have had the honor of seeing, hearing, and meeting Mr. Tommy Emmanuel, that same World Famous and World’s Greatest Guitarist and Wonderful Man From Australia, and I have never been treated so kindly and thoughtfully in every way by anyone in my life. I saw him in concert in New Orleans as I stated, with his Special Guest Mr. Gareth Pearson,“The Welsh Tornado”— a “kinsman” of mine from "Wales", I am hoping, and a Magnificent Guitar Player and Songwriter Himself, and a Damn Good Dancer as well. Gareth shows the effect of spending time with the World’s Greatest Guitar Player and One of the Universe's Most Wonderful People in his Musicianship and in his Character. Some of you may know just how much Tommy Emmanuel has meant to the Evans Family through the years. Every night for the last five years of her life (8 years old to 13) my daughter, Kimberly Allison Evans, as I tucked her into bed, kissed her good night, and continued after I left her room, listened to a cassette recording on her Sony Walkman of Tommy Emmanuel playing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”, given to her by her (honorary) Uncle John D. Loudermilk, who told her, every time Kimberly asked, “Mr. Tommy is a Wonderful Man, a Great Friend, and a Magical Guitar Player, and he played this song JUST for you, Kimberly.” Kimberly asked me about Tommy all the time and I stated the true words of John D. Loudermilk each time I responded to her question. Tommy's performance from his Soul gave Kimberly "True Hope" that she could conquer her illiness. She almost did. On January 16th, 2023, at the very end of his concert in New Orleans, Mr. Emmanuel honored my daughter once more, and surprised me to my core by stepping to the front of the stage after the lights had gone out, and suddenly a spotlight came back on with Mr. Emmanuel on the front edge of the stage. Mr. Tommy performed Kimberly’s favorite song once more, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”. That Special and Magical Performance touched my Heart and many other hearts as well, and I was not the only one who cried like a baby as he played. Never have I witnessed a Musician, with not only such control and finesse over the strings, frets, and neck, but also the ability to command the entire body and soul of a guitar. I write this to Honor, Respect, and try to help make Everyone in this Universe Aware of Mr. Emmanuel, the Greatest Guitarist I have ever had the privilege of listening to and seeing perform in person during my entire lifetime who is also an "Evans" to us. In recognition of his musical accomplishments, Mr. Tommy Emmanuel has been named a member of The Chet Atkins’ “Certified Guitar Players”, a member of the “Order of Australia”, and an “Official Kentucky Colonel”. Chet Atkins’ Certified Guitar Players ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE | December 2, 2022 From the March 2018 issue of Acoustic Guitar | BY BOB DOERSCHUK | PHOTOS BY DONN JONES The late Chet Atkins was many things: A self-taught guitar virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist. A technical revolutionary, who built on Merle Travis’ fingerstyle approach to reach a level of sophistication previously accessible only to classical guitarists. As a record label executive and producer, Atkins was the prime mover in transforming Nashville into a music industry mecca. He was also the founder of the most exclusive guitarist club in the world. The only way in was to be anointed by Atkins himself. Just four got the nod during his lifetime, three of whom survive to this day. Tommy Emmanuel, John Knowles, and Steve Wariner share the distinction of being Certified Guitar Players (CGPs), along with the late Jerry Reed and Atkins’ longtime guitar partner Paul Yandell, who was invited into the group by Atkins’ daughter Merle after her father’s death in 2001. Their bona fides are many and varied: In recognition of his musical accomplishments, Emmanuel has been named both a member of the Order of Australia and an official Kentucky Colonel. Knowles gave up his career as a physicist to pursue music, win a Grammy, and inspire guitarists with his FingerStyle Quarterly. Wariner is a triple-threat whose instrumental prowess mirrors his accomplishments as a songwriter and CMA Award–winning singer with more than a dozen No. 1 hits to his name. Pages more can be written about each of their achievements. Tommy Emmanuel All three guitarists recorded and performed with Atkins and parlayed what they learned from the master guitarist into their own unique styles. The one thing they hadn’t ever done was get together as CGP honorees to discuss Atkins—not until the day they gathered at Nashville’s Gruhn Guitars for a few hours of picking and reminiscing about their mentor and friend. Acoustic Guitar: What does Chet Atkins mean to you? Emmanuel: He was the name on everyone’s lips when I was a kid. Of course, when I grew up and got to know him, I realized that he was just like the rest of us, in that his love for playing was the most important thing to him. But there were so many other things. He was such a vast dimension of a person. He had a great ear for songs. He had a great way of production. He understood sound. And if you think back on how in-tune he was on these records—and there were no digital tuners in those days—he must have had an amazing ear as well. Wariner: What he did was to start with awesome singers and performers. The concept starts there, with incredible talent. He had an ear for that, didn’t he? My dad was a wonderful teacher. I remember when I was really young he’d play me a Jim Reeves record and say, “Chet produced that.” He’d play a Don Gibson record: “Chet produced that.” Everything was connected to Chet. I can’t even imagine my world without him. Go To Page Two, Click Link Below
See The Video From Gruhn Guitars Here ! Just Click Anywhere in this Rectangle. It is Great !
Website Copyright © 2023 William S. “Bleu” Evans All Rights Reserved