Guitarist Tommy Emmanuel to perform during Legends of Thumbpicking Weekend

Guitarist Tommy Emmanuel will be a featured performer at this year’s International Home of the Legends Thumbpicking Weekend, this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Merle Travis Center in Powderly. Along with an induction ceremony for the National Thumbpickers Hall of Fame, there will be competition in the Thumbpicking Championships as players come from around the country to compete.

Thumbpicking is a style of playing guitar developed in Muhlenberg County, by players such as Merle Travis. The thumb of the strumming hand plucks out a heavy bass line as the fingers pick a melody. Travis took this back-porch style to an international audience, inspiring generations to come.

Emmanuel is one of those inspired players to follow in Travis’ footsteps. At a young age, he was fascinated by the playing of Chet Atkins, who played the bass lines, chords, melodies and harmonies using the thumb and fingers of the right hand. While versed in the traditional tunes of Atkins and Travis, Emmanuel brings his own modern spin to his original work.

Twice nominated for a Grammy award for his instrumental music, Emmanuel is a world-renowned musician. Originally from Australia, he would go on to record an album with Atkins called “The Day Finger Pickers Took Over the World”. It would be Atkins’s last album.

Today, Emmanuel is based in Nashville and tours the globe. Event organizer Joe Hudson said he carries the music of our community with him.

“The thing about Tommy,” Hudson said, “is every show that he does, regardless of what part of the world he’s in, he mentions Muhlenberg County, Merle Travis, Chet Atkins – that’s where it all started.”

Hudson credits Emmanuel for carrying on the tradition of thumbpicking, and influencing younger players too.

Emmanuel will perform on Friday evening, as part of the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Other performers that evening include Parker Hastings, Collin Hill and John Knowles. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with the ceremony beginning at 6:30 p.m.

On Saturday, doors will open at 9 a.m. for registration for the International Home of the Legends Thumbpicking Contest. Music will begin at 10 a.m. and the competition will be held throughout the day.

Saturday evening, doors will reopen at 6:15 p.m. for the evening concert, featuring winners of the contest. The show on Saturday night will feature the music of Eddie Pennington, his grandson Caleb Coots, and Mark Thornton and the Side Kicks.

On Sunday, the weekend traditionally winds down with thumbpicking on the porch at Paradise Park. This year is no exception, however there will be a tribute to Thom Bresh from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Merle Travis Center, with thumbpicking in the park to begin after that. Bresh is the son of Merle Travis, who died earlier this year at the age of 74.

Tickets for the weekend’s music are available online at www.merletraviscenter.com or at the door. Tickets are $25 for Friday night’s concert, or $35 for the entire weekend of music. The music on Sunday is free of charge.