Australian Guitar Legend Tommy Emmanuel CGP Comes To Parr Hall

A Grammy Award-winning musician who has performed in some of the world's most prestigious venues is bringing his new show to Warrington. Australian guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel CGP will grace Parr Hall's stage on 29 July as part of the Living in the Light tour.

Tommy is no stranger to iconic venues having played at the likes of London's Royal Festival Hall, Paris's L'Olympia and Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.

As well as receiving a Grammy Award in 2024 for his part in an instrumental cover of Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues, the 70-year-old has also been recognised with multiple ARIA Awards among countless other accolades throughout his international career.

But nothing means more to Tommy than the three letters the late American musician Chet Atkins designated at the end of his name: CGP 

A spokesperson for the tour said: “The title of Certified Guitar Player (CGP) was the highest honour Atkins could bestow on another player – a signifier that the recipient had not only mastered the instrument but taken it to new vistas and become a guiding light for the next generation of pickers.

“Like Tommy, Chet had never gone to a university, and the CGP was his version of a PHD or a doctorate of the guitar. He gave the honour to Tommy and only five other handpicked players.”

As a songwriter and a performer, Tommy's influential music features a melting pot of influences across genres, from pop and bluegrass to jazz and rock ‘n' roll.

“To him, music is rhythm and emotion, all other distinctions are meaningless,” the spokesperson added.

“In a way that must often be seen to be believed, Tommy plays all the parts of a ‘full band' simultaneously, his fingers dancing around the fretboard with a dexterity and speed that would seem impossible if you weren't witnessing it.