Article Contributed by Missing Piece Group
Published on 2026-09-14
Today, GRAMMY-winning guitarist Tommy Emmanuel announced an October 2 release date for The Endless Road, a documentary film chronicling his life and career. Told through intimate backstage footage, concert performances, rare archival material and unfiltered interviews with Tommy’s closest friends and family—as well as stars including Joe Satriani, Jason Isbell, Monty Python’s Eric Idle, Steve Vai, Barry Gibb and Olivia Newton-John—the film examines the scars of childhood trauma, breaking cycles of self-destruction, and the ambitious rise of a man determined to bring happiness to all corners of the globe with his music.
Watch the trailer for The Endless Road
On October 1, Emmanuel will be joined by the film’s director, Jeremy Dylan, and producer, Brian Penix, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Ford Theater in Nashville for a special screening followed by a panel discussion. Emmanuel, Dylan and Penix will join the museum’s Jon Freeman in a conversation about the making of the documentary and Emmanuel’s relationship with guitar virtuoso and Country Music Hall of Fame member Chet Atkins. The Endless Road will be available to rent and download on Amazon, Apple and Google on October 2 and will be coming soon to other platforms.
The Endless Road tells the story of Emmanuel’s journey, which takes him from Australia’s youngest guitar prodigy to one of the world’s most acclaimed acoustic guitarists. Revelations about the father he idolized send Tommy into a decades-long battle with addiction, which threatens to derail his family and career, even as he drives himself to become one of the world’s most compelling performers. The film also tells the touching story of the relationship between Tommy and his hero, mentor and surrogate father figure, the legendary Chet Atkins.
“It’s a special responsibility when someone trusts you to tell the story of their whole life in a film,” says director Jeremy Dylan. “While a YouTube search would reveal much documentation of Tommy Emmanuel’s guitar wizardry, he’s remained a closed book on much of the darker side of his life, the turmoil that has driven him to become one of the greatest instrumentalists in the world. Once Tommy decided that it was time for his story to be told, he became an open book. He stayed true to his word that nothing would be off limits, and in turn, we took seriously our goal to present a nuanced, complete picture of a man whose unparalleled musical skill, intense compassion, self-destructive impulses and calamitous life meant for a truly compelling story that deserved sensitive treatment.”
Tommy Emmanuel first began touring at the age of six in his native Australia as part of a family band. In his teenage years, he turned heads as a highly sought-after session player and sideman, and by his early twenties, Emmanuel was playing on chart-topping hits and performing with some of the biggest names in Australian music, including Air Supply and Men at Work. Inspired in part by his hero, Chet Atkins—who would later become a friend, mentor and collaborator—Emmanuel stepped out on his own as a solo artist in 1979, releasing the first in a string of critically and commercially acclaimed instrumental albums that would make him an unlikely celebrity in his home country and beyond.
In the decades that followed, he would go on to headline everywhere from the Sydney Opera House to Carnegie Hall; tour with the likes of Eric Clapton and John Denver; win a GRAMMY Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement; perform for a televised audience of more than two billion at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympics; and collaborate with everyone from Les Paul and Mark Knopfler to Joe Walsh and Richard Thompson. NPR’s World Café declared him “one of the best acoustic guitarists in the world,” while The New York Times hailed him as a “prodigy,” and Atkins crowned him with the title of Certified Guitar Player, an honor bestowed upon only four other artists.
Emmanuel continued to push himself throughout his career, relocating permanently to Nashville in the early 2000s and collaborating with a rising generation of guitarists including Jason Isbell, Molly Tuttle and Billy Strings on the studio albums Accomplice One and Accomplice Two. Last year, Emmanuel released Living in the Light, his first solo album in 10 years. Recorded and mixed with producer Vance Powell—Jack White, Chris Stapleton and Phish—Living in the Light is a virtuosic blend of acoustic pop, jazz, classical and roots music delivered by one of the modern era’s most accomplished and versatile guitarists.
Earlier this month, Emmanuel released a 20th-anniversary remastered version of his 2006 album The Mystery. The album’s track “Gameshow Rag/Cannonball Rag” was nominated for Best Country Instrumental Performance at the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards. In honor of the 20th anniversary, this special-edition album has been released on vinyl for the first time and has been remastered with bonus tracks.
More than 60 years into his storied career, Tommy Emmanuel is still hungry for adventure. “As I get older, I find myself taking a lot more risks, and having a lot more fun in the process,” says Emmanuel, who recently celebrated his 71st birthday. “When young people come to my shows and have this awakening that it’s okay to be different, that the possibilities of music and self-expression are limitless, that’s what it’s all about for me.”
Tommy Emmanuel 2026 U.S. Tour Dates
September 17 — The Coach House — San Juan Capistrano, CA — with Jack Tuttle & Scott Gates
September 18 — The Coach House — San Juan Capistrano, CA — with Jack Tuttle & Scott Gates
September 19 — Plaza Theatre — Palm Springs, CA — with Jack Tuttle & Scott Gates
September 20 — Legends Lounge & Event Center — Bakersfield, CA — with Jack Tuttle & Scott Gates
September 23 — The Guild Theatre — Menlo Park, CA — with Jack Tuttle & Scott Gates
September 24 — Laxson Auditorium at CSU Chico — Chico, CA — with Jack Tuttle & Scott Gates
September 25 — Sisters Folk Festival — Sisters, OR
September 27 — Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival — Austin, TX
October 8 — Alaska Center for the Performing Arts — Anchorage, AK
October 9 — Kenai Central High School Auditorium — Kenai, AK
October 11 — Hering Auditorium — Fairbanks, AK
December 3 — Charleston Music Hall — Charleston, SC — with Trey Hensley
December 4 — Newberry Opera House — Newberry, SC — with Trey Hensley
December 5 — Walker Theatre — Chattanooga, TN — with Trey Hensley
December 6 — Carolina Theatre — Durham, NC — with Trey Hensley
December 7 — Knight Theater — Charlotte, NC — with Trey Hensley
December 9 — Variety Playhouse — Atlanta, GA — with Trey Hensley
December 10 — Ponte Vedra Concert Hall — Ponte Vedra Beach, FL — with Trey Hensley
December 11 — The Plaza Live — Orlando, FL — with Trey Hensley
December 12 — Bilheimer Capitol Theatre — Clearwater, FL — with Trey Hensley
The Endless Road screening and panel discussion
Thursday, October 1, 2026
2–4 p.m.
Ford Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
222 Rep. John Lewis Way South
Nashville, TN 37203
Included with museum admission; program ticket required
Screening information and tickets
