Happy Birthday to Marilyn Manson/Nine Inch Nails/A Perfect Circle bassist Jeordie White (aka Twiggy Ramirez; 1971), "Sin City" director Robert Rodriguez (1968), "The Golden Compass" star Nicole Kidman (1967),

Recognized as the elite of the elite and arguably the greatest living acoustic guitar player, two-time Grammy® nominee Tommy Emmanuel has mesmerized both fellow musicians and audiences alike with a professional career that spans over four decades.

The level of freedom and autonomy that is taken for granted by today's contemporary Country music artists - a world of independent production deals, self-styled recording and publishing arrangements, and other advantages enjoyed by pop acts for a decade before their C&W counterparts caught up - owes an eternal debt to Waylon Jennings, the original Nashville Rebel.

Now 92-years young, the legendary Les Paul, father of the solid-body electric guitar, inventor of overdubbing and multi-track recording, king of the '50s pop charts and rock 'n' roll pioneer, tells his own rags-to-riches story in a performance-filled documentary by filmmakers John Paulson and James Arntz.

Happy Birthday to Marilyn Manson/Nine Inch Nails/A Perfect Circle bassist Jeordie White (aka Twiggy Ramirez; 1971), "Sin City" director Robert Rodriguez (1968), "Eyes Wide Shut" star Nicole Kidman (1967), Duran Duran bassist John Taylor (1960), Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony (1954), "The Big Lebowski" actor John Goodman (1952), The Commodores singer/solo artist Lionel Richie (1949), "American Graffiti" actress Candy Clark (1947), Canadian singer Anne Murray (1945), actor Danny Aiello (1936), actress Olympia Dukakis (1931), guitarist Chet Atkins (1924), and legendary "Robin Hood" star Errol Flynn (1909; d. 1959).

Tommy Emmanuel has garnered a nomination for the 49th Annual Grammy Awards in the “Best Country Instrumental Performance” category for “Gameshow Rag/Cannonball Rag” from his critically acclaimed Favored Nations Acoustic album, The Mystery, which was released August 22. "It's the greatest honor of my life and it's a dream come true. I appreciate being in such great company," said Emmanuel of his nomination.

After years of admiring each other's musical masterworks and Clapton covers of Cale songs such as "After Midnight" and "Cocaine," guitar greats J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton have teamed up for the first time to create an original album together, The Road To Escondido. The 14 track CD was produced and recorded by the duo in August 2005 in California.

The first round of artists announced to perform on "The 40th Annual CMA Awards" to be telecast Monday, November 6, on ABC includes a star-packed lineup who are also all nominees for this year's awards. CMA Awards hosts Brooks & Dunn will be performing, as will multi-Platinum singer and Dancing with the Stars participant Sara Evans and the artist who tied Brooks & Dunn with the most CMA Awards nominations this year, Brad Paisley.

An array of sights and sounds for six-string aficionados will be seen and heard throughout the summer as guitar virtuoso and Grammy® Award nominee Tommy Emmanuel c.g.p. gives fans a double dose of his distinguished guitar styling. First his DVD release, Live At Her Majesty's Theatre, Ballarat, Australia, will come out July 11, followed by his sixth U.S. album, The Mystery, which will be released August 22.