Tommy Emmanuel – photo © Luciano Viti
Guitarist extraordinaire Tommy Emmanuel has chosen Doc Watson’s birthday to release a video for his latest single, Ready for the Times to Get Better. It’s one Doc recorded as well, and performed often, and Tommy created his version, with a live music video, as a tribute to Watson.
Primarily a finger style guitarist, Emmanuel has found himself more and more bluegrass adjacent in recent years, and as he is also a fine flatpicker, respect for his musicianship has only grown in bluegrass circles. His recent duo projects, Accomplice One and Two, have found him in the studio with Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Jerry Douglas, David Grisman, Bryan Sutton, Sam Bush, Ricky Skaggs, Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, and The Del McCoury Band.
But this latest is a solo effort, capturing Emmanuel on guitar and vocal, overdubbing himself on second guitar at one point.
He says it’s his candid testimonial to Watson.
“When I heard Doc Watson sing this song, I knew I should try to do the same. I love his voice and guitar playing so much — it’s so honest. If you look up the word ‘honesty’ in the dictionary, there’s a picture of Doc!
I wanted to do a tribute in my own way. Ready for the Times to Get Better is my attempt at singing a message. It’s simple. We are all waiting for times to get better in our world, and singing seems to help me get through these tough times.
Warning: it’s one take, live and extremely imperfect — but honest!”
Have a look/listen.
Ready for the Times to Get Better, from Tommy Emmanuel, is available now from popular download and streaming services online.
