TOMMY EMMANUEL AND JOHN KNOWLES TO RELEASE 'HEART SONGS' ALBUM THIS FRIDAY, JANUARY 11 AND LAUNCH NATIONAL TOUR

PRESS RELEASE

Above: John Knowles and Tommy Emmanuel

Credit: Allen Clarke

Two of the three remaining Certified Guitar Players (an honor bestowed by Chet Atkins) -- TOMMY EMMANUEL and JOHN KNOWLES -- will release their collaborative instrumental album HEART SONGS on Friday, January 11 via CGP Sounds/Thirty Tigers. The twosome also just launched their tour this past Tuesday night (January 8) in San Francisco, a coast-to-coast swing with multiple two-night engagements set for New York, Boston, Alexandria (VA), Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Franklin (TN). The tour wraps February 26 in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry. Tickets for all shows are on sale now. Click here for more details.

HEART SONGS spotlights the players' proficient ability to capture and radiate emotion through their instruments with special arrangements of "Cold, Cold Heart," the album's lead-off single written by Hank Williams; "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" written by Billy Joel; and "I Can Let Go Now" written by Michael McDonald, among other songs. Elmore Magazine just weighed in with a rave review, noting:

"The combination of these artists' sensibilities, their careful listening to each other, along with the complimentary tonalities of a steel string and classical guitar carry this set through a variety of affairs of not just the heart, but the mysteries that move it."

--Ken Spooner, Elmore Magazine, Rating: 98 out of 100

Watch their amazing rendition of The Bee Gees hit "How Deep Is Your Love" below,  initially premiered at Parade Magazine (12/13/18).



EMMANUEL, twice voted Best Acoustic Guitarist by readers of Guitar Player magazine and who's been honored as a Member of the Order of Australia and KNOWLES, a Grammy winner and member of the National Thumb Picker's Hall of Fame, know how to get to the core of a song and accentuate its finest qualities.

The 14-track HEART SONGS, recorded at EastWest Studios in Los Angeles, intertwines thoughtful arrangements of songs from other artists, a classic Broadway musical like West Side Story, their own compositions and live performances. In November, Guitar Player premiered the album's lead single, "Cold, Cold Heart" while Acoustic Guitar magazine premiered "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" and noted that "...it's no surprise that both guitarists are on the top of their games throughout Heart Songs." (11/29/18)

In other news, KNOWLES has also been added to TOMMY EMMANUEL's June Guitar Camp in Vail, CO. More information on the camp can be found here.

HEART SONGS Track Listing:

"Cold, Cold Heart" (written by Hank Williams)
"How Deep Is Your Love" (written by The Bee Gees)
"I Can't Stop Loving You" (written by Don Gibson)
"Somewhere" (written by Leonard Bernstein from West Side Story)
"I Can Let Go Now" (written by Michael McDonald)
"Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" (written by Billy Joel)
"After Paris" (written by John Knowles)
"Walkin' My Baby Back Home" (written by Roy Turk and Fred Ahlert)
"I Can't Make You Love Me" (written by Allen Shamblin and Michael Reid)
"Where Is Love" (written by Lionel Bart for Oliver!)
"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" (written by Bobby Russell and Bobby Scott)
"Eva Waits" (written by Tommy Emmanuel)
"Turning Home (Live)"
"How Deep Is Your Love (Live)"

Catch Tommy Emmanuel and John Knowles on tour:

Tue 1/8 - San Francisco, CA - Herbst Theatre
Wed 1/9 - Bakersfield, CA - Buck Owens' Crystal Palace
Fri - 1/11 - San Juan Capistrano, CA - The Coach House
Tue 1/15 - New York, NY - City Winery
Wed 1/16 - New York, NY - City Winery
Fri 1/18 - Boston, MA - City Winery
Sat 1/19 - Boston, MA - City Winery
Sun 1/20 - Homer, NY - Center for The Arts
Mon 1/21 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater
Tue 1/22 - Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere
Wed 1/23 - Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere
Fri 1/25 - Minneapolis, MN - Dakota Jazz Club
Sat 1/26 - Minneapolis, MN - Dakota Jazz Club
Sun 1/27 - St. Louis, MO - The Sheldon Concert Hall
Tue 2/19 - Atlanta, GA - City Winery
Wed 2/20 - Atlanta, GA - City Winery
Fri 2/22 - Franklin, TN - The Franklin Theater
Sat 2/23 - Franklin, TN - The Franklin Theater
Tue 2/26 - Nashville, TN - Grand Ole Opry

TOMMY EMMANUEL AND JOHN KNOWLES ANNOUNCE NEW COLLABORATIVE INTRUMENTAL ALBUM, 'HEART SONGS"

TOMMY EMMANUEL AND JOHN KNOWLES ANNOUNCE NEW COLLABORATIVE INTRUMENTAL ALBUM, 'HEART SONGS,' OUT JANUARY 11  

TWOSOME TO HIT THE ROAD IN JANUARY WITH STOPS IN SAN FRANCISCO, SAN DIEGO, NEW YORK CITY, BOSTON, MINNEAPOLIS AND NASHVILLE, AMONG OTHERS

Above: Tommy Emmanuel and John Knowles

Credit: Allen Clarke

Two of the three remaining Certified Guitar Players (an honor bestowed by Chet Atkins) - Tommy Emmanuel and John Knowles - have announced Friday, January 11 as the release date for their new collaborative instrumental album, HEART SONGS, via CGP Sounds/Thirty Tigers.

The full-length album spotlights the players' proficient ability to capture and radiate emotion through their instruments with special arrangements of "Cold, Cold Heart," the album's lead-off single written by Hank Williams; "How Deep Is Your Love" written by The Bee Gees; "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" written by Billy Joel; and "I Can Let Go Now" written by Michael McDonald, among other songs. *See the full HEART SONGS track listing below.

Emmanuel, twice voted Best Acoustic Guitarist by readers of Guitar Player magazine and who's been honored as a Member of the Order of Australia and KNOWLES, a Grammy winner and member of the National Thumb Picker's Hall of Fame, know how to get to the core of a song and accentuate it's finest qualities. Says Michael McDonald: "To hear a master like Tommy Emmanuel interpret any song is a joyous and emotional experience to say the least. To hear such a master perform one of your own compositions is the experience of a lifetime. One for which I'll be forever be grateful."

The 14-track HEART SONGS, recorded at EastWest Studios in Los Angeles, intertwines thoughtful arrangements of songs from other artists, a classic Broadway musical like West Side Story, their own compositions and live performances.

"A 'heart song' is really a love song," Emmanuel observes. "Love has many facets--love of family, romantic love. So we started there and then looked for melodies that could be played with heart." Adds Knowles: "And we tried to choose songs that people have heard. So that when they hear them, even though we're not singing or they may not know all the words, they have a connection to these songs in their own hearts."

Most importantly, they agreed from the start that HEART SONGS would be about honoring the music rather than using it as a springboard for virtuoso display. From studying vocal interpretations of each song they covered, Emmanuel embraced a singer's identity in how he would caress each melody. "It was a wake up call to not overplay, to be respectful and serve the music properly," he says. "When you're being respectful to the melody, you're also respecting the listener's previous experience with that song," Knowles points out. "We play into their expectations while at the same time surprising them now and then."

In support of the album, Emmanuel and Knowles will hit the road together with their first performance slated for January 8 in San Francisco, CA at Herbst Theatre. Additional stops are set for San Diego, New York City, Boston, and Minneapolis, among others, before wrapping in Nashville, on February 26 at the Grand Ole Opry.

Tickets for all shows go on sale November 2. Click here for more details.

HEART SONGS Track Listing:

"Cold, Cold Heart" (written by Hank Williams)

"How Deep Is Your Love" (written by The Bee Gees)

"I Can't Stop Loving You" (written by Don Gibson)

"Somewhere" (written by Leonard Bernstein from West Side Story)

"I Can Let Go Now" (written by Michael McDonald)

"Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel)" (written by Billy Joel)

"After Paris" (written by John Knowles)

"Walkin' My Baby Back Home" (written by Roy Turk and Fred Ahlert)

"I Can't Make You Love Me" (written by Allen Shamblin and Michael Reid)

"Where Is Love" (written by Lionel Bart for Oliver!)

"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" (written by Bobby Russell and Bobby Scott)

"Eva Waits" (written by Tommy Emmanuel)

"Turning Home (Live)"

"How Deep Is Your Love (Live)"

 

Catch Tommy Emmanuel and John Knowles on tour:

Tue 1/8 - San Francisco, CA - Herbst Theatre

Wed 1/9 - Bakersfield, CA - Buck Owen's Crystal Palace

Fri 1/11- San Juan Capistrano, CA - The Coach House

Tue 1/15 - New York, NY - City Winery

Wed 1/16 - New York, NY - City Winery

Fri 1/18 - Boston, MA - City Winery

Sat 1/19 - Boston, MA - City Winery

Sun 1/20 - Homer, NY - Center for The Arts

Tue 1/22 - Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere

Wed 1/23 - Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere

Fri 1/25 - Minneapolis, MN - Dakota Jazz Club

Sat 1/26 - Minneapolis, MN - Dakota Jazz Club

Sun 1/27 - St. Louis, MO - The Sheldon Concert Hall

Tue 2/19 - Atlanta, GA - City Winery

Wed 2/20 - Atlanta, GA - City Winery

Fri 2/22 - Franklin, TN - The Franklin Theater

Sat 2/23 - Franklin, TN - The Franklin Theater

Tue 2/26 - Nashville, TN - Grand Ole Opry

For more information on TOMMY EMMANUEL, visit http://tommyemmanuel.com/

TOMMY EMMANUEL PARTNERS WITH 'COWBOYS & INDIANS' TO PREMIERE THE VIDEO FOR "DEEP RIVER BLUES," HIS COLLABORATION WITH JASON ISBELL

"If you like guitar playing, it simply doesn't get any better than Tommy."

--Jason Isbell

  Above: image from "Deep River Blues" video

Tommy Emmanuel--the esteemed Grammy-nominated guitarist, composer and performer--has partnered with Cowboys & Indians to premiere the video for "Deep River Blues," his collaboration with Jason Isbell from Emmanuel's acclaimed and high-charting ACCOMPLICE ONE album. The song is a stirring interpretation of the country blues classic by the late Doc Watson, whose birthday was March 3. Watch the video below, directed and edited by Joshua Britt and Neilson Hubbard. It features Emmanuel, with muddied hands, finger-picking his acoustic guitar by a small creek in the backwoods of Nolensville, TN and celebrating Watson's pioneering guitar style.




An interview with Emmanuel--currently headlining a European tour through March before returning for more U.S. dates starting April 6--is also posted at the Cowboys & Indians site where he says:

"Firstly, Jason was an obvious choice for 'Deep River Blues' as he's from Muscle Shoals [Alabama] and has the exact vocal style I was looking for this style of song. I have been a Doc Watson fan since I first heard him in the early '70s. Doc and I did some shows together about 10 years back and he was a great gentleman to be around. I think his influence was the fact that he always stuck to his way of doing things and never got swayed by trends."

Tommy Emmanuel--whom is distinguished as one of only five musicians handpicked by his mentor, Chet Atkins, as a Certified Guitar Player (CGP)--earned the #1 "Bluegrass Album" on the Billboard charts with his ACCOMPLICE ONE collaborations album, released January 19 via CGP Sounds and distributed by Thirty Tigers. The album also debuted in Top 5 on Billboard's "Heatseekers Albums," Top 15 on "Independent Albums" and Top 20 on the "Americana/Folk" chart alongside its #1 debut on the iTunes "Jazz Albums" chart.

The 16-track collaborative album, a mix of new takes on indelible classics and brand new originals from Tommy and his collaborators, also achieved a #10 debut on Americana Music Association's "Top 40 Albums" chart while "Looking Forward To The Past" (feat Rodney Crowell) and "Borderline" (feat Amanda Shires) are both on Americana Music Association's "Top 40 Singles" chart (all monitored by CDX Traction). The album features guest artists such as Jason Isbell, Mark Knopfler, Rodney Crowell, Amanda Shires, Jerry Douglas, J.D. Simo, Ricky Skaggs, David Grisman and more.

To purchase the album, the CD is available here and vinyl here. For digital, visit iTunes here.

The road warrior has an extensive worldwide touring itinerary already confirmed for the year, with more dates being added. On select upcoming U.S. tour dates, Emmanuel will be joined by ACCOMPLICE ONE special guests such as Amanda Shires, Jerry Douglas and Suzy Bogguss. See all upcoming tour dates here.

Here are more artist quotes about TOMMY EMMANUEL:

"With him, it's all human."

--Rodney Crowell

"Tommy is a force of nature...I wondered how I could keep up with him!"

--David Grisman

"Tommy is one of the most musically welcoming artists I know!"

--Jorma Kaukonen

"Tommy is my favorite acoustic guitarist in the world."

--Phil Collen (Def Leppard)