Tommy Emmanuel

The Australian guitar stylist is back in the UK for some shows. Ahead of these, we were able to run some questions past the prince of the Fretboard…

Hi Tommy. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

Hello, Pete. My pleasure.

What are your hopes for the new album?

What are my hopes? Well my main hope of course is that people enjoy it cause’ it was such a labour of love for me. I’m hoping that people will expand their world through this music because it’s all genres of music. Its jazz, its bluegrass, its country, its blues, its swing music there’s a bit of everything on it. That’s why you can call it a jazz album or you can call it a country album or a bluegrass album. In fact, we’re charting on the Americana chart, jazz chart and the bluegrass chart as well. I hope people enjoy the quality of the recording. I mean its honest, nobody emailed their part in we all worked together in the studio. It’s all recorded as if it was live.

Fantastic. For concert amplification what are your preferred pickups? (I just love Fishmans on my acoustics)

The best pickup I know are the ones that come from Maton the Australian made guitars and that’s what I use. The pickup system is called an AP 5 Pro and it has a microphone on an arm and you can move it around. So if you’re plugged into a PA that has frequencies … My sound man is the most important person in my life so I work closely with him and we get the sound how we like it. So it’s a combination of the Piezo pickup, six individual Pezo under the saddle and a microphone on an arm. Maton guitars with Maton pickups.

Excellent. Nick Drake and John Martyn rightfully receive attention even in these times but Davey Graham seems to be overlooked. How do you rate his records?

Davey Graham – I bought Davey Graham ‘The Guitar Player’ record in 1967 I think it was and it was Davey Graham and his brother playing drums I remember that. I learned ‘Don’t Stop The Carnival’ and ‘Take Five’ from that album so that’s how long ago I discovered Davey Graham. Davey Graham was a genius in his own way and played in a way that nobody ever had before. He was definitely unique and I don’t know whether he’s been overlooked I think like a lot of artists, he was perhaps superseded by people like Pierre Bensusan and people like that. But I think it depends whose getting the most amount of publicity somehow you know? (Laughs)

I’ve been around long enough to know Davey Graham’s early work and I think he was brilliant.

On your duets you have an almost chameleon style approach. I imagine with a view to making the partner sound his or her best. Does this require deep thought and preparation or do good things happen in the moment?

Well I’m happy in just about any genre as long as I’m playing with somebody who is a songs person and that’s why I chose the people I chose. None of this was difficult, it all flowed in a natural way the way music should be. Everything was live in the studio and the people that sang like Jason Isbell and Rodney Crowell, Amanda Shires and Suzy Bogguss I mean Suzy Bogguss’s voice – she could sing the phone book and we’d love it. These are real artists who I admire and respect and I wanted to give them the opportunity to bring what they can to each song. I think I made the right choices with most of the artists.

‘Deep River Blues’ was the right song for Jason Isbell he sang it so well. Suzy Bogguss sang my song ‘The Duke’s Message’ and she really put her heart into that. Amanda Shires was really enthusiastic about doing ‘Borderline’. When I first told her about it she said “The Madonna song?” and I said “Yeah but let’s do it like this”. So I sung it and played it to her and then she said “Wow I really like that” and she did a really great job on it. The other artists like Jake Shimabukuro we did a version of ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ and it was ok but it wasn’t as soulful as I’d expected. So I then said “I’ve written this song called ‘Rachel’s Lullaby’ and he came up with his part. Then the magic happened and we just gelled together. The other instrumental tracks like the really fast bluegrassy one called ‘Wheelin’ and Dealin’ I wrote that song years ago and I pitched it to Ricky Scaggs and Kentucky Thunder as an instrumental and they really liked it but they ended up not doing it. So I ended up doing it and I got JD Simo to come in and play Telecaster kinda like Red Mason style and he just tore it up. JD Simo is a great great talent.

Which leads onto the next question, our pal JD Simo did some shows with you. How was the reaction to the shows?

Oh! It was great just to see JD doing his own thing as he just played solo as well. So he’s playing his electric guitar with a little amp and he is just singing. He’s got such a great voice. And it was great to see him in that format. Then in my set, I got him up and we played an old tune called ‘Mint Julep’ and he took a solo in that. Then we did ‘Sittin (On The Dock Of A Bay)’ and people loved what he did. Also, I think he surprised a lot of people with how good he is as a solo player and singer.

Excellent. What two things should a performer always strive to AVOID doing onstage?

To avoid? Well make sure you’re really in tune when you’re out there. So don’t spend too much time tuning. That’s what makes people wiggle in their chairs and lose interest if you’re spending too much time tuning. So making sure you’re really in tune before you go out there is a sensible thing.

I think the other thing is; always put the audience first. Be really aware of what’s going on in the room and don’t get too self-indulgent. You’re there for the people play so play and perform for the audience.

Great. I always have an extra guitar behind me onstage in case of mishaps, usually in open D. How do you cater for the unexpected?

Well if I break a string onstage which is a rare as a blue moon, what I usually do is I’ll have someone bring me a replacement string and I’ll put the string on, stretch it and tune it in front of the audience. I’ll make it into a workshop and say “This is how you put a string on”. But I always carry three guitars and it’s a good idea to always have a spare. You’re right about that.

But my three guitars are three different tunings and three different sounds. That helps to break up the set – if you play the same guitar for an hour to the audience they’re gonna need an ear break! So I usually do twenty to twenty-five minutes on the first guitar and then I switch out to the drop D or drop G tuning and play some different stuff and then I switch to the deeper tuned guitar which is normal guitar tuning but it is down a whole step. I play ballads and things like that on that instrument. That’s a nice break as it is a different sound. So always carry spares.

Your strings don’t sound particularly heavy to my ears but what do you tend to use?

I use twelve to fifty-four and thirteen to fifty-six so they’re mediums and lights. If you play as much as I do, you don’t want to be killing your hands with a guitar that has a high action. My guitars have a very comfortable action but I still get a bit of pressure back from them which is what I like. In order to get intricate things going, you need to be not fighting the instrument. I definitely try to keep the action nice and flat but I change strings quite a lot. My strings always have beautiful overtones and sound real fresh.

Excellent. Albert King, Freddie King or B.B. King? Any reasons or favourite numbers or recordings?

Ah! Well you’re talking three of the greatest blues players that ever lived. Three of the most influential guitar players on the planet as well and I love all three of them. We wouldn’t of had Stevie Ray Vaughan if it wasn’t for Albert King and B.B. King. Stevie Ray Vaughan almost single-handedly showed the world where blues came from and how powerful a message it is. Nobody did it better.

Ok. Doc Watson – discuss.

Doc Watson. I was not aware of Doc Watson until the mid-seventies when a guy came up to me and said “When you played that song you sounded like Doc Watson” and I replied “Who’s Doc Watson?” He then gave me a tape with ‘Deep River Blues’, ‘Southbound’, ‘Doc’s Guitar ‘ and all of those tunes. When I met Doc we did some shows together in Texas quite a few years ago. It was then I realised that he listened to a lot of the same stuff that I did like Hank Williams, Jimmy Rogers and that kind of music including Merle Travis. One of my favourite records of Doc’s, was the album he did with Chet Atkins called ‘Reflections.’ He just puts on a stellar performance on that album.

Ok. I will buy anything Rodney Crowell is involved in. Do you have an artist that never lets you down?

Well Rodney Crowell is one of those guys as his songs are so great. I would have to say an artist who always blows my dress up is Stevie Wonder. Also Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Eric Clapton, Elton John. I mean there are just so many artists for us to beg, steal and borrow from. (Laughs)

(Laughs)

When I was a teenager, I wasn’t really studying guitar players as such. I wasn’t really that interested and I was listening to Carole King, Gordon Lightfoot and Neil Diamond. I was listening to singers and songwriters as I was interested in writing songs. There are a lot better guitarists then me out there but I can write a song and so I can go out and perform my own music. That sets you apart immediately.

Fantastic. Please tell us about your current hometown?

Nashville, Tennessee. Music City. It is a great place to live and it is growing so fast. It is full of amazing talent and you can see anything. You can see ballet, opera, jazz, punk, blues and everything else. Then you can go to the Country Music Hall of Fame and see where the roots of so much great music came from.

What’s it like playing with Mark Knopfler?

It’s easy playing with Mark. He makes everything so easy and him and I enjoy playing together so much. Although that was really the only time we’ve ever recorded together. We had a jam out at Heathrow Airport in the lounge and nobody bothered us. Nobody took any notice. We were sat in the British Airways lounge and no one noticed! (Laughs)

Some recordings fade too early and many people think Kate Bush’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ does this. Can you think of any?

I like records where you have a lot of interesting stuff going on in the fade. Chet Atkins and I use that a lot when we recorded together. We’d trade licks and we extended it and made it longer. All The Beatles stuff fades really quick and it goes straight into the next song. I do like the idea of the fade on the record.

The radio is on in the kitchen – what song would make you turn the volume UP and which song would make you turn the radio OFF?

Anything by George Michael would make me turn it off. Not that he’s not a great singer I just don’t like he’s singing. But that’s just my opinion which means nothing. If Michael Jackson came on the radio I’d turn it up.

Ok. What Paul Simon tune might you put the next record?

(Laughs enthusiastically) If I could get Paul Simon to sing a song on the record my God! What a writer and a player! I still think his album ‘One-Trick Pony’ is one of the greatest recordings I’ve ever heard. I love everything Paul Simon has done.

You get to record a Bob Dylan song with Lucinda Williams. Which song do you suggest?

Wow! I’d have to say ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’. I’d do a slow, sultry version of that.

That’d be nice.

My Bob Dylan experience; I got a backstage pass to his show and I was gonna go and say hello to some of the guys who I knew. I got to the stage door and the door flew open like someone had kicked it and it nearly hit me. I moved back out of the way and it was Dylan.

Oh wow.

He looked at me and said “Get out of my way!” and went straight to his car and took off! (Laughs) That was my only Bob Dylan experience!

Quite a moment. How do you get such a fluid sound going? Any tips for a novice?

You need to play that guitar twenty-four hours a day if you want to get a fluid sound. You’ve gotta tune into it. It’s not just technique but it’s about the feel of it. When you get those rich tones going that’s when it really touches the listener. When I watch someone play the guitar I can tell if they are tuned in or not. If they are just doing the action of playing the instrument rather than creating something so beautiful that you can’t put words to it. That’s the difference between the men and the boys! (Laughs)

What is the Tommy Emmanuel Road Diet?

I try and eat the same thing in the mornings and I usually have cereal, yoghurt and a cup of coffee that’s about it. I try not to snack on the road – only fruit. I don’t eat big meals and I don’t need a lot of excess fuel in my body. I burn a lot of it off during the show. I could eat after the show and I used to when I was younger. But when you get to my age, if you eat late at night it won’t be long before you put on a lot of weight. That’s what happens. I don’t eat mountains of bread or rice. Drink a lot of water on the road.

Which guitar player leaves you in awe? For me it’s Frank Zappa.

So many. Django Reinhardt would have to be number one. Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Steve Lukather, Larry Carlton. I’d have to say the best guitarist I’ve seen is Paco de Lucia the Flamenco player. As far as Frank Zappa goes, he is a genius but his music did not touch me in anyway. That’s just how I am.

Any thoughts on the work of John Sebastian?

I know John Sebastian really well and I love what he wrote. Especially his early stuff. Even that theme ‘Welcome Back Kotter’ that’s a beautiful song. I got to play a song with him at the All-star Guitar Night and it was a really interesting night. I got to play with John Sebastian and I then got to play ‘Duelling Banjos’ with Eric Weissberg (the guy that co-wrote the song) and then I got to play ‘The Nine Pound Hammer’ with Merle Travis and I thought “Wow! What else could happen tonight?” Then I came offstage and James Burton was standing there! That was the icing on the cake.

Thank you for your time Tommy.

Thanks Pete.

Pete Sargeant