Australian guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel has released Living In The Light, his first solo album in ten years, marking a triumphant new chapter for the Grammy-winning virtuoso. The new record, produced by Nashville heavyweight Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, Phish), captures Emmanuel’s extraordinary range across acoustic pop, jazz, classical and roots music.
The album arrives with a new video for Maxine, a fresh take on Sharon O’Neill’s 1983 hit that originally reached the Australian Top 20. Emmanuel not only plays guitar and bass on the track but also steps up to the microphone, lending his voice to a song that has long been close to his heart. “This song was a big hit in Australia in the 80s,” he says. “It’s the story of a young prostitute playing with fire in her life. Sharon O’Neill is an old friend and a gifted storyteller.”
Sharon O’Neill is a New Zealand singer and songwriter who rose to prominence in the late 1970s and early 1980s with a string of acclaimed releases including Luck’s On Your Table, Words, and Maxine. Known for her distinctive voice and sharp storytelling, she became one of New Zealand’s most successful music exports, earning strong followings in both her home country and Australia. Her songwriting often explored personal themes and urban life, earning her multiple music awards and critical praise throughout her career.
O’Neill’s husband, Alan Mansfield, was a talented multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer. Originally from the United States, Mansfield became a key member of the Australian-New Zealand band Dragon in the 1980s. His musicianship helped revitalise the group during its comeback years, contributing to albums such as Body and the Beat and Bondi Road. Mansfield and O’Neill frequently collaborated as songwriters and performers, co-writing several of Dragon’s later hits including Young Years.
Alan Mansfield’s connection to Tommy Emmanuel came through Dragon. Emmanuel joined the band in the late 1980s, performing alongside Mansfield during the Bondi Road era. Together, they helped define the polished, guitar-driven sound of Dragon’s late-80s lineup, marking one of the group’s most successful comeback periods.
Living In The Light was recorded largely live in the studio, many songs captured in just one or two takes, which lends the record a warmth and spontaneity that harks back to Emmanuel’s early solo work. He describes it as an album born from freedom and risk-taking, saying, “There are elements of rockabilly, blues, even traditional African music all woven into the music. I’ve absorbed so much through my travels. It all comes out in my own way.”
The album’s eleven tracks span instrumental fireworks and heartfelt vocal performances. Highlights include Young Travelers, Scarlett’s World, and Black and White to Color. It’s a deeply personal collection that balances Emmanuel’s dazzling technical prowess with moments of vulnerability and introspection.
Emmanuel’s story began in the small Australian town of Muswellbrook, New South Wales. By age six, he was already performing in the Emmanuel Family Band, crisscrossing the country with his siblings. In his teens, he became one of Australia’s most sought-after session musicians, playing on hits for Air Supply, Dragon, and John Farnham. By the late 1970s, inspired by his hero Chet Atkins, he stepped into the spotlight as a solo artist, bringing fingerstyle guitar to mainstream attention.
Chet Atkins himself would later knight Emmanuel as a Certified Guitar Player, a title only given to five artists in history. Emmanuel’s career soon went global. He played with Eric Clapton, John Denver, Les Paul, and Mark Knopfler, headlined the Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall, and performed to a global audience of two billion during the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Across the decades, Emmanuel’s ability to connect with audiences through sheer musicality has never waned. NPR’s World Café called him “one of the best acoustic guitarists in the world,” while The New York Times hailed him as a “prodigy.” His last two collaborative albums, Accomplice One and Accomplice Two, featured a new generation of guitar heroes like Jason Isbell, Billy Strings, and Molly Tuttle.
Now 70, Emmanuel says he feels more creatively alive than ever. “As I get older, I find myself taking more risks and having more fun. When young people come to my shows and realise it’s okay to be different, that’s what it’s all about for me.”
Emmanuel’s Living In The Light tour begins tomorrow, 11 October, at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, with a string of dates across the United States leading up to a special show at New York’s Carnegie Hall on 30 October with Richard Thompson. The extensive run continues through 2026 with more than 40 dates across North America.
Tommy Emmanuel – Living In The Light Tracklist
Young Travelers
A Drowning Heart
Scarlett’s World
Gdańsk
Maxine
Little Georgia
Initiation 25
Black and White to Color
Waiting for the Times to Get Better
You Needed Me
Ya Gotta Do What You Gotta Do
US Tour Dates:
Oct 9–12, 2025 – Tommy Emmanuel’s Guitar Camp USA: Nashville Skyline 2025 – Nashville, TN
Oct 11, 2025 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN (with special guest John Pizzarelli)
Oct 14, 2025 – The Kentucky Theatre – Lexington, KY
Oct 15, 2025 – Cahn Auditorium – Evanston, IL
Oct 16, 2025 – McCoy Center for the Arts – New Albany, OH
Oct 17, 2025 – Clyde Theatre – Fort Wayne, IN
Oct 18, 2025 – The Palladium at The Center for the Performing Arts – Carmel, IN
Oct 19, 2025 – Royal Oak Music Theatre – Detroit, MI
Oct 21, 2025 – Lincoln Theatre – Washington, DC
Oct 22, 2025 – Appell Center for the Performing Arts – Strand Theatre – York, PA
Oct 23, 2025 – Keswick Theatre – Glenside, PA
Oct 24, 2025 – Tarrytown Music Hall – Tarrytown, NY
Oct 25, 2025 – University of Rhode Island Guitar and Mandolin Festival – South Kingstown, RI
Oct 26, 2025 – Tupelo Music Hall – Derry, NH
Oct 28, 2025 – The Wilbur Theatre – Boston, MA
Oct 29, 2025 – State Theatre New Jersey – New Brunswick, NJ
Oct 30, 2025 – Carnegie Hall – New York, NY (with Richard Thompson)
Dec 3, 2025 – Rose State College Performing Arts Center – Oklahoma City, OK
Dec 4, 2025 – Majestic Theatre – Dallas, TX
Dec 5, 2025 – Charline McCombs Empire Theatre – San Antonio, TX
Dec 6, 2025 – Cullen Performance Hall – Houston, TX
Dec 7, 2025 – The Paramount Theatre – Austin, TX
Dec 9, 2025 – The Hall – Little Rock, AR
Dec 10, 2025 – Dixie Center for the Arts – Ruston, LA
Dec 12, 2025 – Mars Music Hall – Huntsville, AL
Dec 13, 2025 – The Lyric Theatre – Birmingham, AL
Dec 14, 2025 – Niswonger Performing Arts Center – Greeneville, TN
Mar 13–20, 2026 – Cayamo Cruise – Miami, FL
Mar 22, 2026 – Key West Theater – Key West, FL
Mar 23, 2026 – The Parker – Fort Lauderdale, FL
Mar 25–29, 2026 – Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea XI – Miami, FL
Apr 8, 2026 – Uptown Theater – Kansas City, MO (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 10, 2026 – Paramount Theatre – Denver, CO (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 11, 2026 – Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah – Salt Lake City, UT (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 12, 2026 – The Egyptian Theatre – Boise, ID (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 14, 2026 – Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox – Spokane, WA (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 15, 2026 – Tower Theatre – Bend, OR (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 17, 2026 – The Moore Theatre – Seattle, WA (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 18, 2026 – Elsinore Theatre – Salem, OR (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 19, 2026 – Rogue Theatre – Grants Pass, OR (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 21, 2026 – Cascade Theatre – Redding, CA (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 22, 2026 – Crest Theatre – Sacramento, CA (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 23, 2026 – Rio Theater – Santa Cruz, CA (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 24, 2026 – Palace of Fine Arts Theatre – San Francisco, CA (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 25, 2026 – The Grove of Anaheim – Anaheim, CA (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 26, 2026 – Fremont Theater – San Luis Obispo, CA (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 28, 2026 – The Magnolia – San Diego, CA (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 29, 2026 – Ikeda Theatre – Mesa, AZ (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
Apr 30, 2026 – Fox Tucson Theatre – Tucson, AZ (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
May 1, 2026 – KiMo Theatre – Albuquerque, NM (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
May 3, 2026 – Cox Business Center – Legacy Hall – Tulsa, OK (w/ special guest Jack Schneider)
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