Tommy Emmanuel has announced the dates for his latest Australian tour, with Mandurah lucky enough to be included on the exclusive list of just eight performances around the country.
Emmanuel will be joined by special guest Jerry Douglas when he takes to the stage at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre on April 16.
The internationally acclaimed acoustic guitarist said he’s excited to perform in Western Australia.
“I always love coming back to WA – it’s a big part of my life and the audiences are always good,” he said.
“We don’t always play smaller places but I’m always hoping [the promoters] will put me in some little towns that I’ve played before like Mandurah.
“I played those kind of places all of my younger life, they were very important to my growth as an artist in my home country – it’s like you’re giving back to the people who have helped you on your way.”
I always love coming back to WA – it’s a big part of my life and the audiences are always good.
- Tommy Emmanuel
Emmanuel will bring Douglas to Australia for the first time as part of his show, so Australian audiences can see the Nashville dobro slide guitar master in action.
Douglas, a 14-time Grammy Award winner, will open each show and also team up with Emmanuel for some special musical treats together.
Emmanuel said the pair were “like brothers” and worked well together on stage.
“He’s going to bring something completely new to the show that people in Mandurah will never have seen before,” he said.
“We just did a really wonderful tour here in America in December – it was so great, we really enjoyed it.
“We’ll be a well-oiled machine by the time we get to you, we’ll be rocking.”
Now one of only five official ‘Certified Guitar Players’ (CGP) in the world, after being awarded the honour by his childhood idol Chet Atkins, Emmanuel shows pure delight in sharing his love for the guitar.
The music icon said audiences could expect “a bit of everything” during his performance.
“I’ve got a lot of new songs I’ve written that I haven’t recorded yet that I’m going to play so there will be a lot of new stuff for the audience,” he said.
“Together we do stuff like Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Hey Joe’ and ‘Purple Haze’ and I sing a couple of Bruce Springsteen songs in the show and that’s fun.
“I’m going to teach [Jerry] ‘I Still Call Australia Home’ so we can play that together.”
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Despite boasting a career that has spanned over five decades, the highly decorated musician said he has no intentions to call it quits anytime soon.
“I’m having a great time and my health has been good and I just feel like I'm in my prime,” he said.
“It’s the best job I know – I play music and people get happy, I couldn’t ask for better.
“As long as the people want to come and hear me, I’ll keep playing for them.”
Tommy Emmanuel and Jerry Douglas will play at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre on Tuesday, April 16.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit the MPAC website.