Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer -- fingerstyle guitar with Tommy Emmanuel and John Knowles

 Several years ago I had the opportunity to hear Tommy Emmanuel play guitar, at a music festival in my area.  His performance was definitely a highlight, for me and many others.  I'd had no idea it was possible for a person to play guitar in such amazing ways, until listening to him.

For some Christmas cheer, here is Tommy Emmanuel along with John Knowles--both are fingerstyle virtuosos--practicing their version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."  It is evident these guitarists are having a great time playing this short piece.

  Tommy Emmanuel is from Australia.  He has been performing music for most of his life, beginning playing in a family band, the "Emmanuel Quartet," at age 6.  Later he worked in a variety of bands, and as a studio musician, before deciding to begin a solo career.

John Knowles, a Texan, majored in physics and math in college, becoming a research lab scientist.  But he had always loved music, playing accordion and ukelele as a child, and then guitar as a teenager.  After 2 years in science he switched careers, becoming a guitar teacher.   He is the author of the "Fingerstyle Quarterly"-- a publication with guitar music pieces in tab format along with recordings to hear, for guitarists.

Both Tommy Emmanuel and John Knowles are among only 5 musicians who have been awarded an honorary CGP (Certified Guitar Player) title from Chet Atkins, one of the most influential country-western guitarists of the 20th century.