In 2020, TOMMY EMMANUEL released a newly recorded acoustic instrumental of John Lennon’s classic “Imagine”--on the same day (October 9) Lennon would have been 80-years-old--as a limited edition 7-inch vinyl exclusive to music retailers. Now, the acclaimed and Grammy-nominated acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter will release the digital-only EP titled IMAGINE on his label, CGP Sounds. It will consist of this version of “Imagine” plus two original EMMANUEL songs: “Since We Met” and “I’ve Always Thought of You.”
“Since We Met” was the B-side to the above-mentioned 7-inch, while “I’ve Always Thought of You” is a new addition to this release. “Since We Met” and “I’ve Always Thought of You” were songs originally on EMMANUEL’s 1999 album Only, but they have been re-recorded and are appearing for the first time on certain digital outlets such as Spotify.
Today (January 8), “Since We Met” has been released as a single along with a video that was filmed in March 2020, just before the pandemic shutdown, in the back of Tommy Emmanuel’s tour bus outside the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville, TN. It was directed by Joshua Britt and Neilson Hubbard for Neighborhoods Apart Productions. As TOMMY explains at the beginning of the video, he wrote the song back in the ‘90s and it was recorded with a full band. Over the years it has evolved as an intimate solo piece for him and has become a song requested by fans. “There have been people who’ve written to me and said, ‘I’m going to propose to my girlfriend if you play ‘Since We Met’ tonight in the show.’ That’s happened a few times; it always touches me so much that a song could make someone feel that way.”
Next week, the track and video for “I’ve Always Thought of You” will be issued to coincide with the EP’s January 15 release.
Meanwhile, the video for EMMANUEL’s stirring version of “Imagine” can be viewed here. Read the press release here. The limited edition 7-inch vinyl is now also available on TOMMY’s web-store. It’s also interesting to note that 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of Lennon’s “Imagine” single and album of the same name.
In other exciting TOMMY news, his guitar work graces Barry Gibbs’ new solo album Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers’ Songbook out this Friday, January 8. EMMANUEL plays on the Bee Gees’ classic "How Deep Is Your Love" featuring Little Big Town.
