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Musical integrity still matters, as illustrated by guitar trio The String Revolution and guitar virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel winning the Grammy® Award this past Sunday (2/4) in the “Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella” category for their unique reimagining of Johnny Cash’s classic “Folsom Prison Blues.” Sharing the Grammy Award with them is The Man in Black’s son John Carter Cash, who produced the single. Released July 23, 2023 via Copeland International Arts/Universal Music Group, it proves some classics are meant to be reborn. Watch the video for “Folsom Prison Blues” here.

QUOTE FROM THE STRING REVOLUTION:

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“Janet Robin, Markus Illko and Rober Luis of the guitar trio, The String Revolution couldn’t be more honored and grateful to the Recording Academy for this Grammy® recognition. It goes without saying, having the master himself Tommy Emmanuel gracing our track, and John Carter Cash producing it, gave it that extra special magic that pushed the recording to shine even more. Huge thanks to the entire team including our engineer Trey Call, mixing engineer Matthew Hyde, and mastering engineer Emerson Mancini who also added the final frosting.”

“The String Revolution is absolutely honored to have received this Grammy Award.® This is a win for all artists out there who work hard and consistently push ourselves to experiment with our craft and continue to create unique and inspirational works. This is a very special moment for us that we will never forget!”

QUOTE FROM TOMMY EMMANUEL:

“I am deeply moved to be honored with a Grammy Award.  I couldn’t believe it when they called our names!  I am so blessed to have been asked to come out and play on ‘Folsom Prison Blues,’ a song I’ve known all my life!  To get to work with The String Revolution and John Carter Cash has been fun and adventurous! Sometimes, you’ve just got to show up, do your thing, and stand back to see what happens!”

QUOTE FROM JOHN CARTER CASH

“Attention: This is not my Daddy’s ‘Folsom Prison Blues.’ My excitement over this unique instrumental arrangement has been unsurpassed in my life up to this point. I am honored to be a part of this wondrous historic recording!”

In a celestial alignment of strings and frets, The String Revolution and Tommy Emmanuel came together to create “Folsom Prison Blues,” a match made in guitar heaven. The String Revolution‘s meticulous approach to reinventing this classic was not taken lightly. With an acute awareness of the need for genius, they enlisted the incomparable Emmanuel to lend his virtuosity to the track. Taking the reins as producer, John Carter Cash infused the recording with more authentic vibes. It was recorded at Cash Cabin Studios, where Johnny and family worked on many recordings. In order to achieve maximum authenticity, one of Johnny Cash’s personal guitars—a 1930’s Martin—was played by The String Revolution’s Markus Illko, while Luther Perkins’ 1955 Fender Esquire (used in the original “Folsom Prison Blues” recording) was played by The String Revolution’s Rober Luis.

The String Revolution is comprised of three professional virtuoso guitar players who create distinctive sounds with their guitars: mimicking percussion, special effects, melodic grooves, bass lines, and more. They share a passion for many different musical styles and guitar techniques which has given The String Revolution a unique sound. This is evident in their studio recordings and live shows. A clear dedication and hard work ethic for the project brought The String Revolution together.

The band includes former Randy Rhoads student Janet Robin (named in the “Top 50 Acoustic Guitarist bonus list” by Guitar Player Magazine, 2017), who is also an acclaimed touring guitarist with the likes of Lindsey Buckingham, Meredith Brooks, Air Supply and many more, award winning Austrian nylon-string guitarist Markus Illko and Cuban multi-credited guitarist Rober Luis.

Tommy Emmanuel has achieved enough musical milestones to satisfy several lifetimes. At the age of six, he was touring regional Australia with his family band. By 30, he was a rock n’ roll lead guitarist burning up stadiums in Europe. At 44, he became one of five people ever named a CGP (Certified Guitar Player) by his idol, music icon Chet Atkins. Today, he plays hundreds of sold-out shows every year from Nashville to Sydney to London. He’s piled up numerous accolades, including two Grammy Award nominations, two ARIA Awards from the Australian Recording Industry Association (the Aussie equivalent of the Recording Academy); repeated honors in the Guitar Player magazine reader’s poll including a cover story for their August 2017 issue; a cover feature for Vintage Guitar’s July 2020 issue; and was Music Radar’s reader’s poll #1 winner of the Ten Best Acoustic Guitarists in The World.