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William Thomas "Tommy" Emmanuel AM (born 31 May 1955) is an Australian virtuoso guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer, best known for his complex fingerstyle technique, energetic performances and the use of percussive effects on the guitar. Although originally a session player in many bands, Emmanuel has carved out his own style as a solo artist in recent years, releasing award winning albums and singles. In the May 2008 and 2010 issues of ''Guitar Player'' Magazine, he was named "Best Acoustic Guitarist" in their readers' poll.〔("Bio: Tommy Emmanuel" ), official website〕 In June 2010 Emmanuel was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). ==Biography== Emmanuel was born in Australia in 1955. He received his first guitar in 1959 at age four, being taught by his mother to accompany her playing lap steel guitar. At the age of seven in 1961 he heard a young Chet Atkins playing on the radio. He vividly remembers this moment and says it greatly inspired him. By the age of six, in 1961, he was a working professional musician. Recognizing the musical talents of Tommy and his older brother Phil Emmanuel, their father created a family band, sold the family home and took his family on the road. With the family living in two station wagons, much of Emmanuel's childhood was spent touring Australia with them, playing rhythm guitar, and rarely going to school. The family found it difficult living on the road; they were poor but never hungry, never settling in one place. His father would often drive ahead, organize interviews, advertising and finding the local music shop where they would have an impromptu concert the next day. Eventually the New South Wales Department of Education insisted that the Emmanuel children needed to go to school regularly.〔 After his father died in 1966, the family settled in Parkes. Tommy eventually moved to Sydney where he came to be noticed nationally when he won a string of talent contests in his teen years.〔 By the late 1970s, he was playing drums with his brother Phil in the group Goldrush as well doing session work on numerous albums and jingles. He gained further prominence in the late 1970s as the lead guitarist in The Southern Star Band, the backing group for vocalist Doug Parkinson. During the early 1980s, he joined the reformed lineup of leading 1970s rock group Dragon, touring widely with them, including a 1987 tour with Tina Turner. He left the group to embark on a solo career. Throughout his career he has played with many notable artists including Chet Atkins, Eric Clapton, Sir George Martin, Air Supply, John Denver, Les Paul, Edgar Cruz, Martin Taylor and Doc Watson. In 1994 Australian music veteran John Farnham invited him to play guitar next to Stuart Fraser from ''Noiseworks'' for the ''Concert For Rwanda''. Emmanuel became a member of Farnham's band. He had previously been a member of Farnham's band during the early 1980s and featured on the album ''Uncovered''. Emmanuel and his brother Phil performed live in Sydney at the closing ceremony of the Summer Olympics in 2000. The event was televised worldwide with an estimated 2.85 billion viewers.〔 When performing together the pair sometimes share and play just one guitar with each having one hand free. In October 2002 he was invited to perform the Australian folk song "Waltzing Matilda" at a service at the Washington National Cathedral held for the victims of the Bali bombings. In December 2007 he was diagnosed with heart issues〔()〕 and was forced to take a break from his hectic touring schedule due to exhaustion, but returned to full-time touring in early 2008. In late January 2010, after the 2010 Haiti earthquake earlier in the same month, Emmanuel announced that he would be auctioning off three guitars, that he personally played and owned, on eBay, in order to raise money to donate to UNICEF in Haiti. Tommy is currently a resident of Nashville.〔https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6dPga15hck#t=241〕 In November 2014, Tommy signed a new management deal with Nashville-based ABI.〔http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tommy-emmanuel-inks-new-management-deal-with-abi-282138531.html〕 In 2015, he announced the formation of his own record label, CGP Sounds.〔http://cgpsounds.com/category/releases/〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tommy Emmanuel」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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