Here's an excerpt from a well-written article about him, which perfectly describes my experience:
"Those of us fortunate to be alive at that time will clearly remember the first time we heard it. By the end of the banjo intro to Old Home Place, it was obvious that something new and different was going on. Rice’s guitar filled the track from top to bottom and side to side with an aggressive rhythm style... It propelled the band forward like nothing we had heard before. And then he started singing! His deep baritone voice crackled with soul... He showed [his instrumental] skills on Old Home Place as well, laying down a blistering half-break near the end of the song that had flatpickers scratching their heads in wonder."
Here's the full article:
https://bluegrasstoday.com/tony-rice-passes/