![]() His impeccable technique owed much of its finesse to the minute finger movements of his right hand where many guitarists opt to grip the guitar pick with fixed digits, Rice’s dexterity allowed him to play fiendishly fast single-note runs and phrases by moving his thumb and forefinger alone. In addition, Rice’s instrumental performance of the traditional “ Jerusalem Ridge ” continues to be used as the song’s reference recording by guitar teachers and students.ĭespite his many talents, Rice is primarily remembered as one of the cleanest pickers in guitar history. Rice’s version of the title track, originally by Norman Blake, remains among the most well-known standards in the bluegrass repertoire, with many crediting Rice with the song’s enduring popularity. Although Rice wrote many melodious originals, such as the Lightfoot-esque “ Never Meant to Be ,” he is renowned for his covers and performances of bluegrass standards. ![]() “Church Street Blues” is a masterclass in bluegrass guitar and remains one of the genre’s most celebrated studio efforts. However, Rice is perhaps most widely known for his work as a solo artist. Rice was known for his commitment to musical growth and the pursuit of excellence after studying and recording with jazz guitarist John Carlini in 1977, Rice often improvised using complex harmonic ideas and earned a reputation for playing excellent live solos. Influenced by country musician and future Byrd Clarence White (whose legendary Martin D-28 acoustic guitar Rice played for the duration of his career), Rice made his debut as part of a pioneering bluegrass outfit, “ JD Crowe & The New South ,” and continued to push the boundaries of the genre long after leaving the band to establish his own group, the Tony Rice Unit. Rice, born in Danville, Virginia, in 1951 and raised in Los Angeles, grew up during this popularization of bluegrass guitar. Bluegrass guitar gained mainstream traction in the 1950s as amplification technology developed and guitar players like blind prodigy Doc Watson entered the scene, showcasing the guitar’s potential as a lead instrument. Bluegrass music first became a bona fide style following the Great Depression, when modest instruments gave forlorn Americans a means to voice their blues - a particularly soul-stirring passage from John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” (1939) describes a lone guitarist playing to a despondent crowd. The roots of bluegrass music lie in a union of Appalachian folk songs and traditional African American melodies a confluence of two of the most important genres in the history of American culture. The genre likely owes its gentle, pleading tone to its rich history. ![]() ‘Church Street Blues’ remains a reminder of Tony Rice’s immeasurable talent. ![]() With his guitar, hands and voice alone, Rice could fill a room with inexplicable magic by listening to “Church Street Blues” (CSB) (1983), which celebrated its 38th anniversary on March 1, one can almost see the shadows of the campfire dance to the tune, hear the chirp of crickets on the warm evening breeze and feel the nostalgia of happy times spent with family. Tony Rice, who passed away at age 69 last December, was such an artisan. Just as the finest painter needs only a brush, colors and canvas to materialize the ethereal, the most skilled artisan needs only their tools. The best art always seems to be more than the sum of its parts - to carry an emotional weight beyond the medium and to touch the souls of observers with effortless, awe-inspiring ease. I have always found there to be a plaintive, simple beauty to bluegrass music maybe it’s the austerity of the instrumentation, the honesty of the timeless lyrics or the countless years of history and tradition audible in the lilting melodies. ![]()
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