TONY McMANUS

Hailed by John Renbourn as 'the best Celtic guitarist in the world,’ Tony McManus has also been listed as one of the 50 transcendent guitarists of all time by Guitar Player Magazine. Tony has both extended and transcended the parameters of contemporary Celtic music. Ranked by peers and predecessors alike alongside the guitar world’s all-time greats, his fiendishly dexterous, dazzlingly original playing draws on traditions from the entire Celtic world, along with further ranging flavours such as jazz and eastern European music. Long applauded for his uncanny ability to transpose the delicate, complex ornamentation characteristic of traditional bagpipe or fiddle tunes – even the phrasing of a Gaelic song – onto his own six strings, McManus is being increasingly acknowledged as a pioneering figure in bridging the realms of Celtic music and other guitar genres, performing with the likes of Alasdair Fraser, Kevin Burke, and Natalie McMaster, among others. He has come to represent Celtic music in the guitar world, making appearances at guitar specific festivals such as the Chet Atkins Festival in Nashville; the Ellnora Guitar Festival in the Krannert Center, with the likes of Pat Metheny, Kaki King, Molly Tuttle, and Steve Dawson; and he has appeared at Guitar Festivals in Italy, Australia, France, Scotland, England, and Germany. He played at the famous Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in the “All Star Guitar Night” with Béla Fleck and more, headlined by the legendary Les Paul. His ability to reach audiences unfamiliar with traditional music is amazing, even reaching into classical events such as the Dundee and Derry Guitar festivals, appearing six times between the two!

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Drake, 44 N Pleasant St, Amherst, United States