For anyone who had the pleasure of hearing Tony play or even better when he was still singing, it is sad to mark his passing.
Tony was so smooth, so right on with the rhythm, such a great vocalist.
A few decades ago I was helping a festival promoter at which Bob Weir/Ratdog and Tony and Peter Rowan were both playing on different days.
We ran around in circles trying to keep Ratdog’s crew happy and the next day Tony and Pete arrived and we asked what we could do for them. Just a couple cold beers and a quiet place to warm up. The promoter said, “I am only booking bluegrass from now on”. Beer delivery allowed me to experience Tony warming up and it was watching grace to see him play up close.
Reports about his health have been bad for years but its still a huge loss. Grisman talked at length about how Tony picked up and moved out west to help invent Dawg music, (or maybe for the good smoke as well).
Saw him at the Ryman and a handfull of other gigs. A hugely talented guy who made a big mark.
The Bluegrass Alliance band produced notable famous bands and musicians. We all gathered together for one last rendezvous and a 40-year newgrass/bluegrass music celebration, at Bickel’s place in Louisville in December 2008. I’ve shared some personal experiences I had in the mid-1970s when I lived here. It was a musician’s rooming house. Thank you fellas for accepting me as your soundman. I got your back.
Thank you Internet Archive for hosting my comments and my old tapes.
Years ago, when Festivarian Forum came online, I posted here and mentioned this stuff. The link below sums it up. Believe it or not, it’s possible this stuff could disappear tomorrow. I’m just doing my job. Tony and these guys are a big part of my life, who I am, and how I got here. A very long strange trip indeed, with Grateful Dead’s psychedelic scene leading the way, the best sound I ever heard.
Thanks for sharing that. Lead to a Tony Rice/YouTube video wormhole that was pretty inspiring. We’re lucky to be alive and frankly blessed to have the like of Rice among us.
The influence of Tony Rice on acoustic guitar players is a bit like Jimi Hendrix on rock guitar players, he changed everything. If you were able to catch Tony in the prime of his career you saw a true master of his craft. With David Grisman, Norman Blake, Peter Rowan, J.D. Crowe, Alison Krause, Doc Watson, the Tony Rice Unit or the Acoustic Allstars and others he set a new standard for how a guitar sounds. And his singing was even better. I treasurer all the shows I was able to see him at Telluride, Rockygrass and Merlefest. And if you haven’t check out the music library he left behind.
