“Tony McManus is the Jeff Beck of the acoustic guitar”
~ Paul Reed Smith
Pursell Lutherie & Michigan Fingerstyle Guitar Society present a workshop & concert hosted by Tony McManus, one of the world’s best Celtic guitarists.
About Tony McManus
Born in Paisley, Scotland Tony began his self-taught virtuosity by listening to his families record collection. Having first tried his hand at the fiddle, whistle and mandolin, he took up the guitar at the age of ten. After rapidly making his name as an unusually fluent and sensitive accompanist, he took the solo plunge with a triumphant main-stage debut on the final night of Glasgow’s inaugural Celtic Connections festival in 1994. Over the years, Tony has recorded a catalog of dazzling albums, both solo and with friends, delivering a breadth of artistry and performance which conjures up images and themes of the traditional music of the Celts along with more global influences from far and wide.
In 2002, McManus won twin “Musician of the Year” awards by the BBS Folks Awards and the Scottish Traditional Music Awards. Around the same time, his CD Ceol More gathered attention by being featured on the “Critic’s Album of the Year” list in Acoustic Guitar magazine, as well as being named “Live Ireland Awards’ Album of the Year.