Supple Folk Music Series presents guitarist Tommy Emmanuel

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
September 25, 2008

Australian finger-style guitarist and two-time Grammy nominee Tommy Emmanuel brings his unique musical style to Texas State University-San Marcos Tuesday, Sept. 30.

The performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the LBJ Student Center Ballroom on campus. Admission is free. The show is part of the Jerry and Cathy Supple Folk Music Series, co-sponsored by Century Tel.

Emmanuel’s professional career spans four decades and continues to intersect with some of the finest musicians throughout the world. A household name in his native Australia, Emmanuel has garnered hundreds of thousands of loyal fans worldwide. His unique playing style--he calls it simply "finger style"--is akin to playing guitar the way a pianist plays piano, using all ten fingers.

Guitar legend Chet Atkins was one of the first to inspire Emmanuel to pick up the guitar as a child. Decades later, Atkins himself became one of Emmanuel's biggest fans. In 1999, Atkins honored Emmanuel with the title of "Certified Guitar Player" for his lifetime contribution to the instrument, a rare honor shared by only three other people in the world (Jerry Reed, Steve Warner and John Knowles). Atkins eventually recorded with Emmanuel in 1996 on "The Day the Finger Pickers Took Over the World," for which Emmanuel received his first Grammy award nomination. This was also Atkins’ last recording.

Texas State’s outstanding array of music, dance, and theatre productions is complemented through the Encore Series with performances by nationally and internationally renowned artists. The Supple Folk Music series honors the unique American art form of folk music and pays tribute to the late Jerry Supple and his wife Cathy who brought their love of this genre to Texas State University.

For more information, visit the Encore Series website at www.encoreseries.txstate.edu or contact the Events Coordinator at (512) 245-3501.