RIP Tony Rice

[samnitzberg (Sam)]

Tony Rice, easily the most influential guitarist in bluegrass and American folk music in the last 50 years, died on Christmas day. Right up there with RT in my book. If you don't know his stuff, you should.
Good examples of his gifts here: "Gold Rush" https://youtu.be/8XBJNaPYfEg
here: "Freeborn Man" https://youtu.be/g2TrN3jnEaQ
less blazingly but no less impressively here: "Shenandoah" https://youtu.be/-GdfCNKuJzo
and finally, in perhaps the best rendering of this song anywhere, here: "Cold Rain and Snow" with Peter Rowan and his band https://youtu.be/5p0AryAE6Bw

[samnitzberg (Sam)]

Here's another nice tribute, "Tony Rice Was My Guitar Hero" by Molly Tuttle, another great guitar player, with her links to 8 "essential" videos (some of which are audio-only).
https://www.npr.org/2020/12/29/951149547/tony-rice-was-my-guitar-hero

[quodlibet (Ian)]

In my ignorance, I only knew him through "The Pizza Tapes", home recordings with Jerry Garcia & David Grisman. Lovely stuff. RIP.

[samnitzberg (Sam)]

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/

[samnitzberg (Sam)]

In my ignorance, I only knew him through "The Pizza Tapes", home recordings with Jerry Garcia & David Grisman. Lovely stuff. RIP.

Well, you must certainly get the very first David Grisman Quintet album, then (with Tony Rice, of course). Here's a cut: https://youtu.be/J9lTcCW3qiE