Phil Emmanuel, Famed Australian Guitarist, Passes at 65

PARKES, AUS (CelebrityAccess)  – Famed Australian guitarist, Phil Emmanuel, passed away suddenly last Thursday (May 24) in Parkes following an asthma attack.

Emmanual, who rose to prominence in the early 1960s playing with his family band The Trailblazers, was 65.

Revered as one of the country’s all-time greatest guitar players, Emmanuel’s career spanned more than 50 years. During that time he shared the stage with everyone from Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and Tammy Wynette to Carlos Santana, Dire Straits, Jimmy Barnes, and countless others.

Phil’s younger brother guitarist Tommy Emmanuel, with whom he toured alongside as ‘The Emmanuel Brothers’ during the early 1990s, offered a touching tribute on Facebook: “He taught me so much right from the start, showed me how to recognize song keys, chords, harmonies, how to get a sound that worked, how to stay out of the way on stage and when to step forward when I had something to say, musically or otherwise. He was a walking contradiction, and a dreamer, but mostly, a loving kind, concerned brother.”

Phil Emmanuel is survived by his wife Amanda and his children Jesse Maree, Jamie-Lee, Georgia Dee, Jackson and Marshall Travis.

ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo77IrbCam5OawLR6wqikaGpgZoVwfJRoaXFnoJ22rXnEpqSapqWauW6ywKacnWWRqsC1vsCloJqmXZzCqsDAq6CsrF2lrrS%2FxKxkmqxda4Jw