Dr Tommy Emmanuel will see you now: guitarist honoured with Doctor of Music degree

Asked about the significance of the new title bestowed upon him, the acclaimed ‘certified guitar player’ said: ‘Well, I think it just means that I have an understanding of how things work.’

Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Music by the University of Newcastle, at an event held at the Newcastle Conservatorium. Picture: Eddie O'Reilly / University of Newcastle

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More than six decades into a life spent swimming in an endless stream of sound, acclaimed guitarist Tommy Emmanuel continues to burnish a sparkling ­career with new accolades.

His vocation began at the age of six when he started playing in his family band, and it continues apace: amid a sold-out national theatre tour, Emmanuel took a brief detour on Saturday to accept a honorary Doctor of Music from the University of Newcastle, not too far from the NSW town of Muswellbrook where he was born in 1955.

Asked about the significance of his title, the Nashville-based musician replied: “Well, I think it just means I have an understanding of how things work.”

He then detailed some of the hard-earned properties comprising his musical brain: “Why certain notes against chords cause us to feel certain emotions; why the tempo of the song is so right,” he told The Australian on Monday.

“Finding the right key for the song. Knowing what a good melody is, and knowing how to stay out of the way when someone’s doing something good – all those qualities are so important to a person whose whole life is music.”

For the newly named Dr Emmanuel, 69, the honorary degree follows a debut Grammy Award win last year, as well as two ARIA Awards and being appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2010.

He also earned the much-loved honorific of “Certified ­Guitar Player”, which was bestowed upon him in 1999 by his own guitar hero, the late US ­country legend Chet Atkins.

Honorary doctorates are uncommon accolades for popular Australian musicians, although Dr Emmanuel can now count among his peers Nick Cave (Doctor of Laws from Monash University, 2008), Paul Kelly (Doctor of Arts from Adelaide, 2014) and Jimmy Barnes (Doctor of the University, University of SA, 2022).

“Well, then I’m in incredible company,” he replied when told of his entry into this rare group, thanks to the University of ­Newcastle.

“All I can say is ‘Thank you’ to them, and I certainly hope that I can live up to it.”

Emmanuel, centre, on Saturday with University of Newcastle Cchancellor Patricia Forsythe, left, and vice-chancellor and president Alex Zelinsky. Picture: Eddie O'Reilly / University of Newcastle

In Brisbane on Sunday, the good doctor proudly announced his new title to a capacity QPAC concert hall while exhibiting his signature flair for showmanship and six-string virtuosity, as he ran through two energetic sets powered by four Maton guitars.

His run of one-man shows continues in Canberra on Tuesday, before he travels to Sydney, Melbourne and Perth this week, and ends the tour in Adelaide on May 31.

Having devoted his life to delving deeper into the unique attributes of the acoustic guitar than just about anyone, Emmanuel gave a thoughtful response when asked how he’d advise the next generation of players coming up behind him.

“I think people worry too much that they’re being compared to others,” he said.

“We all start out emulating somebody who’s already doing something that’s got us excited: we see them as someone doing something good, and we want to be like that.

“I think it’s right that everyone starts out copying, or emulating, someone else.

“We all do it – and then eventually, in time, we find our own voice, our own way. But someone has to light a fire in you, and I believe that’s nature’s way.”