Hailed by John Renbourn as ‘the best Celtic guitarist in the world’ Tony McManus has been listed as one of the 50 transcendental guitarists of all time by Guitar Player Magazine. Conjuring a unique but universal language from that most ubiquitous of instruments, the acoustic guitar, Tony McManus 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 diaspora – Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Galicia, Asturias, Cape Breton, Quebec – along with still further-ranging flavours, such as jazz and east 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 increasingly being acknowledged also 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. 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, supporting Capercaillie in front of a 2500-strong crowd.
Tony has come to represent Celtic music in the guitar world, performing with diverse folks such as Bruce Molsky and Tommy Emmanuel, and 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!
PRESS:
"Tony McManus’ music is beyond beautiful, it’s perfect.” Tommy Emmanuel
“Maker’s Mark .... by Tony McManus; it’s a beautiful piece of work that holds up impeccably through
multiple plays.” - Leo Kretzner, FolkWorks
SOCIALS: SELECTED APPEARANCES: VIDEOS:
Website Vancouver Folk Fest, Canada Pibroch
Facebook Chet Atkins Guitar festival, US What a Wonderful World
Spotify Celtic Connections Festival, Scotland Bach Adagio
Instagram Milan Guitar Festival, Italy Bonnie Jean
Youtube Japan Signature Guitar tour Teolena
Mariposa Festival, Canada Derry Classical Guitar Festival, Ireland
