Why touring Australia is like a family reunion for Tommy Emmanuel

He lives in Nashville but great Aussie guitarist Tommy Emmanuel will be home for his 70th birthday.

Legendary Grammy and ARIA-winning icon of the acoustic guitar, Tommy Emmanuel, will return to Australia for a massive capital city headline tour this month, starting at the Sydney Opera House on May 16, wrapping up at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide on May 31, his 70th birthday.

TOMMY EMMANUEL

Age: 69

Lives: Nashville

Tommy Emmanuel is returning to Australia for a massive capital city headline tour.

How would you describe yourself?

As an Aussie boy, doing the best he can with what he’s been given. Playing and touring back home is like a family reunion! Australia is where I was raised, the rest of the world was what I had my sights on. Now I love coming home and seeing my country through the eyes of a grateful man.

How do you think others describe you?

Energetic and joyous.

Troy Cassar-Daley and Tommy Emmanuel in 2004.

What is the last thing you read, watched, ate, listened to?

I ate a Korean noodle dish, with fish. Watched people walking by, listened to the laughs going on around me, felt very thankful I could eat in a nice place.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

As a little person I dreamt of being a chemist and owning an E-Type Jaguar!

Tommy and his father Hugh Emmanuel in Geraldton, 1964.

What has been the biggest obstacle you have overcome?

Trying to find a balance in work and family … I found that trying to please everyone is not possible, so I stopped killing myself trying to do it!

If you had one wish, what would it be?

My one wish is for my children and their children to have a better world to grow up in.

Tell us a secret. What is one thing people may not know about you?

I love cleaning my house, washing, ironing, cooking, mowing the grass, taking the rubbish bin out …

Tommy Emmanuel with one of his ARIA Awards.

What has been your proudest moment?

When my children call me for help or advice … that’s my high right there!

What has been your toughest period?

Getting through rehab and staying sober. Now it’s peaceful inside of me and I don’t need to change how I feel.

What do you wish we could do more about? As in an issue or problem facing the world?

I truly wish that people would be more patient, and stop looking for fast fixes in our world, and be prepared to go cautiously ahead making each step built on principles that work.

Australian guitarist and songwriter Tommy Emmanuel performing in 2024. Picture: Jan Anderson

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

To be as great as Robin Williams.

What is the kindest thing anyone has ever said to you?

“I don’t want to know your age, I want to know if you are willing to look a fool for love and for the adventure of being alive!”

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would make my hearing good … then communications would be more fun and I wouldn’t miss half the messages.

For dates and tickets for the May tour, visit tommyemmanuel.com