For many, the name Tommy Emmanuel is synonymous with the acoustic guitar itself. Rising to prominence in Australia during the 1990s, Tommy Emmanuel was not just a guitar player for guitar enthusiasts; he became a household name, recognized alongside iconic figures like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Slash. His early albums, such as Dare to Be Different (1990) and Determination (1991), served as educational resources, showcasing exceptional guitar styles, melodic sensibilities, tone mastery, and overall musical quality. These albums, primarily featuring electric guitar with a band, often included solo acoustic pieces, like “Blue Moon” and “Initiation,” which left listeners in awe, questioning if a single person could truly create such intricate music live, or if studio enhancements were at play.
Tommy Emmanuel’s presence on Australian television was ubiquitous. He graced late-night shows, breakfast programs, and variety programs, performing tracks from his latest releases, or lending his guitar skills on his Telecaster, and increasingly on his signature Maton acoustic, as a guest musician for prominent Australian pop stars.
By the early 2000s, as this writer experienced while opening shows and touring with Tommy Emmanuel across Australia, he had transitioned to performing exclusively solo acoustic sets. These performances were nothing short of breathtaking. Tommy Emmanuel, with just one acoustic guitar, delivered a sonic impact and near-rock band volume that captivated audiences. During these tours, duet performances were a regular highlight, often featuring “Determination” and “Working Man’s Blues.” Sharing a stage with Tommy Emmanuel was, and remains, an incredibly challenging yet rewarding experience. His supportive and generous nature always ensures the focus remains on delivering the essence of the song to the audience.
It comes as no surprise that Tommy Emmanuel, a celebrated guitar player, has revisited collaboration with his Accomplice series. This project gathers some of the world’s most accomplished acoustic musicians—including David Grisman, Sierra Hull, Billy Strings, and Molly Tuttle—in the studio, prioritizing the song itself in these musical dialogues. Recently, in a conversation via Zoom, Tommy Emmanuel discussed this exciting collaborative chapter in his extensive career.
Tommy Emmanuel live with guitar
The Genesis of Accomplice Two
Following the completion of his Tommysongs project, Tommy Emmanuel, a seasoned guitar player, found inspiration in performances with Little Feat and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. These collaborations were invigorating and enjoyable, fostering a desire to explore further musical partnerships.
Several tracks intended for Accomplice One had remained unreleased. These included a collaboration with Jorma Kaukonen on Roy Book Binder’s “Another Man Done a Full Go Round,” “Mama Knows” with Jerry Douglas, and “Seven Come Eleven” featuring David Grisman. Additionally, Michael McDonald had contributed three songs during the Covid pandemic period.
This momentum led Tommy and his manager to compile a list of desired collaborators. Billy Strings was quickly contacted and readily agreed to participate. A chance encounter with Molly Tuttle on an Americana music cruise led to an invitation to record “White Freight Liner Blues.”
Despite a busy schedule in the past year, opportunities arose during breaks from touring. Tommy Emmanuel’s manager, Brian Penix, played a crucial role in coordinating studio time with the availability of artists like Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Little Feat, effectively orchestrating the project.
Stepping into Their Worlds: Production and Collaboration
When producing Accomplice Two, Tommy Emmanuel, the insightful guitar player, consciously immersed himself in the musical worlds of his collaborators. The recording with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was a live experience, capturing vocals and Tommy’s acoustic guitar performance simultaneously. To achieve an authentic bluegrass sound, Mike Bub, renowned for his upright bass skills, was brought in.
The track with Jorma Kaukonen was recorded organically, without a click track, capturing the raw energy of their interplay. Tommy described Jorma’s immediate immersion into the Robert Johnson style, prioritizing the song’s narrative. Tommy added drums to this track, opting for a “sloppy backbeat” to enhance the bar band feel.
First-Time Collaborations and Musical Chemistry
While Tommy Emmanuel, the versatile guitar player, had prior experience with some collaborators, Accomplice Two featured several first-time pairings. He had not previously worked directly with Michael McDonald, though he had played on tracks where McDonald was the vocalist. His collaboration with Sierra Hull on his original song “Precious Time” was particularly intimate. Recording at Sierra’s home, Tommy was impressed by her sensitive and dynamic mandolin playing on her vintage Gibson. He noted her ability to blend seamlessly with his guitar, highlighting her exceptional touch and musical maturity, despite her relatively young age.
Tommy Emmanuel expressed admiration for mandolin players, marveling at their apparent ease in creating complex music from the instrument’s unique tuning. He jokingly suggested the ukulele as a more accessible alternative for those daunted by the mandolin. Interestingly, Tommy revealed his past experience playing mandolin on recordings in Sydney during the late 70s and early 80s, employing ukulele tuning to mimic the mandolin sound.
Song Selection: The Heart of Collaboration
For Tommy Emmanuel, the discerning guitar player, song selection is paramount in collaborative projects. The tracks for Accomplice Two came together organically. Michael McDonald, for instance, provided three strong song options. “Somebody Like You” offered Tommy the opportunity to weave guitar lines around the piano and contribute a solo, while still foregrounding McDonald’s vocal performance.
The album’s closing track, “Far Away Places,” features Raul Malo of the Mavericks. Their collaboration originated from an impromptu performance on a music cruise, where Raul invited Tommy to join the Mavericks on stage for an unrehearsed rendition of “Moon River.” Impressed by Raul’s vocal prowess, Tommy immediately invited him to collaborate on a track. Raul’s preference for Sam Cooke songs led to the selection of “Far Away Places.” Tommy envisioned it as a contrasting piece to the album’s up-tempo tracks, aiming for a serenading quality. He crafted an arrangement using nylon-string guitar for the rhythm, steel-string for the melody, and subtle fingerstyle techniques to create depth and nuance.
“Mombasa” with Yasmin Williams: A Unique Musical Dialogue
The inclusion of “Mombasa” with Yasmin Williams was a deliberate choice by Tommy Emmanuel, the innovative guitar player. Having connected with Yasmin years prior, he discovered her affinity for the song. Recognizing Yasmin’s distinctive and unconventional guitar style, Tommy encouraged her to respond to his playing organically. The track begins with Tommy stating the melody slowly, with Yasmin interjecting with kalimba phrases. As the tempo increases, Yasmin seamlessly integrates her guitar, culminating in a featured solo. Although Tommy also recorded a solo, he ultimately prioritized Yasmin’s unique contribution in the final mix, emphasizing its distinctiveness. A drum loop was added post-recording to enhance the rhythmic foundation.
Evolving as a Listener Through Collaboration
Tommy Emmanuel, reflecting on his collaborative experiences as a guitar player, acknowledged the development of his listening skills over time. He contrasted his younger self, brimming with numerous musical ideas, with his current approach, which prioritizes serving the music through attentive listening. In a production role, especially when highlighting another artist, Tommy emphasizes creating the appropriate platform for their expression—encompassing song choice, instrumentation, and arrangement.
Refining Melodies and Parts: A Producer’s Perspective
Tommy Emmanuel approaches melody and part refinement with a producer’s mindset. He adopts an objective viewpoint, analyzing the song’s needs from a broader perspective. For “Daddy Frank,” he consciously incorporated iconic elements of Roy Nichols’ original guitar work while injecting a bebop or Western swing-influenced lick to differentiate it from the Merle Haggard original. This melodic motif, doubled on the acoustic guitar, acts as a subtle hook beneath the vocals.
Tommy Emmanuel, despite being lauded for his technical brilliance as a guitar player, believes his strength lies in melodic interpretation. When approaching melodies like that of “Daddy Frank,” he prioritizes faithfulness to the original, mirroring Jamie Johnson’s vocal performance, which respectfully echoes Merle Haggard’s rendition. In the bridge sections, Tommy aimed to maintain the song’s essence while adding unique and melodic guitar elements.
Recording Acoustic Guitars: Simplicity and Expertise
Tommy Emmanuel, the practical guitar player, emphasizes the significance of the recording engineer in capturing optimal acoustic guitar sounds. Dispelling the notion of a lavish home studio, he revealed his preference for simplicity, often using his iPhone’s Voice Memo app for demos. He prioritizes working with skilled engineers like Rory Rositas or Brad Benge, who possess the expertise in microphone selection and placement to achieve his desired sound. Tommy values engineers who can quickly capture a beautiful sound, allowing him to focus on performance. He can readily discern suboptimal microphone choices or excessive pickup usage, underscoring his attuned ear for acoustic guitar tone.
Working with engineers like Rory Rositas involves arriving at the studio to find meticulously chosen and positioned microphones. Tommy typically uses a matched pair of Neumann KM microphones in a piano stereo configuration to capture the breadth of the guitar’s register. Complementing this, an older ribbon microphone, positioned further back, adds a crucial element of warmth and “grit,” contributing to the overall realism of the recording.
Future Solo Ventures
Looking ahead, Tommy Emmanuel, the ever-productive guitar player, is poised to embark on the next Tommysongs project, envisioning another double album featuring 24 original compositions. He expressed enthusiasm for new pieces he has developed and anticipation for returning to the studio to record them.
What He Plays: Tommy Emmanuel’s Guitar Gear
For Accomplice Two, Tommy Emmanuel employed a diverse collection of acoustic guitars. On tracks with Molly Tuttle and Billy Strings, he favored his Pre-War 000-28, a meticulously crafted replica of David Grisman’s 1930 Martin 000-28, noted for its enhanced volume and intonation.
For “Precious Time” and “Mama Knows,” he utilized a Larrivée C10, gifted to him by Jean Larrivée during his collaborations with Chet Atkins in Nashville. His signature Maton TE Personal featured prominently on numerous other tracks.
Tommy Emmanuel exclusively uses his signature Martin strings, MA540FX Tommy’s Choice Authentic Flexible Core 92/8 phosphor bronze, gauges .012–.054, on all his steel-string guitars.
On the Accomplice Two tracks with Michael McDonald and Raul Malo, he played a custom Kirk Sand nylon-string guitar, constructed with flamenco tonewoods like maple and other light-colored woods.
Onstage, Tommy Emmanuel’s primary instrument is his Maton TE Personal, featuring Queensland maple back and sides and a spruce top. His stage arsenal includes various other Maton guitars, such as a cutaway Australian model and an experimental model with a carbon fiber-reinforced neck, built by former Maton luthier Andy Allen. This experimental model is often tuned to G6 tuning (D G D G B E), a tuning he learned from Chet Atkins.
Tommy also employs a jumbo-sized Maton, dubbed the “Mega Mouse,” similar to the TE Personal but larger, tuned down a whole step to C G C F A D (dropped D tuning down a whole step), and strung with heavier D’Addario nickel bronze strings, gauges .013–.056.
All of Tommy Emmanuel’s stage guitars are equipped with the Maton AP5 Pro pickup system. His streamlined stage setup also includes an AER Pocket Tools Dual Mix preamp, an Udo Roesner Da Capo 75 combo amp, and a tuner.
This article was originally published in the January/February 2024 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.
