The Appalachian Theatre of the High Country has announced two additional artists to their Fall 2022 concert series with live appearances scheduled at the historic venue in downtown Boone, NC. Popular guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel, C.G.P. will perform on Friday, October 7 and “Folk Music’s Rustic Renaissance Man” John McCutcheon will take to the stage at the historic venue on Friday, October 21.
They join previously announced concerts by New Orleans jazz artist Tuba Skinny on Thursday, September 15, and bluegrass singer-songwriter Sierra Hull on Thursday, September 29. All four virtuoso concerts begin promptly at 7:30 p.m.
App Theatre Executive Director Suzanne Livesay, who holds an undergraduate degree in music, said, “The pristine acoustics in this venerable landmark are perfectly suited to these magnificent solo artists. This fact was proven yet again last week when Michael Cleveland’s brilliant musicianship was heard clearly and distinctly by many hundreds of fans throughout this intimate venue.”
The Tommy Emmanuel concert is part of the recently-announced Mast Store Americana Music Series on the Doc Watson Stage of the Appalachian Theatre. This series is intended to be an ongoing, year-round program of artists and events celebrating the genre unique to our country.
The ”C.G.P.” after Emmanuel’s name stands for “Certified Guitar Player.” This designation assigned by the late Chet Atkins recognizes guitar players who excel far beyond the normal line of playing. Atkins handed this title to only to four guitar players in his lifetime, with the first one presented to Emmanuel.
Emmanuel insists on shining the light back on the music. “Songs are our teachers,” he said. “They show us the depth of the human race and its unrelenting desire to create.”
The first quality that defines Emmanuel’s greatness and is mentioned anytime you talk to his legions of fans, whether musicians or civilians, is his extraordinary guitar playing. Considered by those in the know to be among this planet’s greatest guitarists, his playing is simply miraculous, as it would take three musicians, or more, to do what Emmanuel does solo. Who else, for example, when playing “Day Tripper,” can lay down the rhythm part, dig into the riff, and sing the melody all at once on just one acoustic guitar?
Folk legend Pete Seeger said, “John McCutcheon is not only one of the best musicians in the USA, but also a great singer, songwriter, and song leader. And not just incidentally, he is committed to helping hard-working people everywhere to organize and push this world in a better direction.”
For over 50 years, “Folk Music’s Rustic Renaissance Man” (Washington Post) has been everywhere in the folk music scene. He is a breath-taking multi-instrumentalist, a traditional music archivist, one of the primary revivalists of the hammer dulcimer, a pioneering children’s and family artist, a prolific and wide-ranging songwriter, and the very definition of the touring Road Warrior.
John’s craftmanship began at an early age. No one remembers when the neighbors started calling the McCutcheon household to complain about the loud singing from young John’s bedroom. It didn’t seem to do much good, though. For, after a shaky, lopsided battle between piano lessons and baseball (he was a mediocre pianist and an all-star catcher), he had “found his voice” thanks to a cheap mail-order guitar and a used book of chords. For tickets and more information on these events, or to join the theatre’s eblast list and purchase memberships, please visit the ATHC website at www.apptheatre.org.
Courtesy of ATHC.
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