Posted on 12/27/2020 1:56:45 PM PST by John S Mosby
Tony Rice, surely the most influential guitarist and vocalist in the history of bluegrass music, died on Christmas morning. He was 69 years of age, and died swiftly without pain.
Tony changed forever the way bluegrass guitar is played, both as a lead and an accompaniment instrument. Audiences saw hints of his genius during his stint with Bluegrass Alliance in the early 1970s, but it appeared fully formed with J.D. Crowe & The New South in 1975 on their classic recording for Rounder Records, known colloquially by its catalog number, 0044.
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 that brought together the power of Jimmy Martin and Del McCoury, with the dexterity and grace of Clarence White. It propelled the band forward like nothing we had heard before.
And then he started singing! His deep baritone voice crackled with soul, and transformed that Dillards song into bluegrass majesty. Over his multi-decade career, Tony Rice’s voice became a favorite in and around bluegrass, a rare treat combined with someone of such singular instrumental capacity......"
(Excerpt) Read more at bluegrasstoday.com ...
A phenomenal acoustic musician, with a who's who of fellow writers, (Alison Krauss, whom he mentored and she him, Ricky Skaggs,David Grisman, Mark O'Connor are only a few) players and singers over his long active career. Real American music, in many genres, beginning with Bluegrass/Acoustic Mountain String/Real Country music- true Americana. If you are not familiar with his music, or if you are here are 3 selections (one of which is in the posted article written by Norman Blake- Church St. Blues. Church Street in Nashville intersects a 1/2 block from where legendary players/writers could be heard in small venues on Printer's Alley. The intersection of Church Street and 2nd Ave- is the corner of the block where the AT&T explosion occurred on Christmas morning. Strange synchronicity, saying goodbye to an icon of American acoustic music, and hopefully not the end of traditional American music).
He crossed over Jordan, Christmas morning, just goin' over Home. Old traditional Spiritual- "Poor Wayfaring Stranger":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izpJa_pHU90
Church Street Blues- iconic Norman Blake song from the times past in traditional Nashville, hard but good times:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JFgC3Ub10E
Finally, for all the many years FReepers have shared their love of LIBERTY and FREEDOM, our Constitution, and Country==Freeborn men and women. Free Born.
Live: the finest assemblage of Bluegrass master players... ever (L-R: Mark O'Connor,Sam Bush, Mark Shatz, Tony, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck). MerleFest, NC.
"Freeborn Man" :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVl1ibykWZU
Sorry these did not link for some reason:
In order
Poor Wayfaring Stranger:
Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izpJa_pHU90
Church Street Blues:
Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JFgC3Ub10E
Freeborn Man:
Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVl1ibykWZU
A bandmate told me of this today. One of the best guitar players ever and by every account I’ve heard, a gentleman. He will be missed.
RIP/MEMORY ETERNAL .
He also made albums with Ricky Skaggs and that was very good music as well. RIP.
Certainly an inspiration to many an aspiring guitarist.
Doc Watson. Blind as a bat but what a guitarist.
Here’s a good article about him from 2015.
He sang from his heart, and the “heart” involves emotional connections to vocal cords, and psychosomatic inability (when the emotion aspect is out of what, depression, whatever) to sing is termed dysphonia. Alison Krauss suffered this as well and they both helped each other try to overcome it. The last straw for him was the loss of the ability to play due to arthritis. He played hard— hard on the fingers and the body.
Great article thanks.
Wow. Didn’t have time to listen in full to all three but I am blown away with these songs. Never considered myself a huge fan of bluegrass though some of its more widely known tunes have made their way into my playlists over the years - such soulful skill.
Also check out Out of the Woodwork (1997) by Rice, Rice, Hillman and Pedersen.
Quartet: Tony Rice, Peter Rowan, Sharon Gilchrist, Bryn Davies.
Yeah- Bryn went on to work with (hard to believe but it must have paid well)... Jack Black.
Another great collaboration CD was Tony with Norman Blake, Peter Rowan, Don Edwards (THE cowboy song master), Bryn and her brother (on mandolin). CD titled High Lonesome Cowboy.
Really melodic great tunes. Here’s a fave:
Take Me Back to the Range (Alton Delmore):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAGicZvaxkw
Great Norman Blake song. True place... the ghost town today that was the Batelle Lumber Company in the 1900’s— became a behemoth US govt. contractor organized as a “non-profit” multibillion dollar outfit. Years ago, camping trip west, we looked up the place (a real ghost town, company town, water tower, busted up shacks. A lumber company town).
Have to be Southern to understand the company name— heard Norman explain it more than once, because (like Tony does) they sing it as “bat tail” yard-— Bah-tell Southern becomes bat-tail yard.
“About 3 miles from the Batelle year from the reverse curve on down... not far south of the town depot, Sullivan’s shack was found, back on the higher ground.”
Even the “reverse curve” confuses— a reverse S curve in the track— still there at the time.
I’m not southern but I love authentic country music.
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