Most of you that read my daily nonsense here know that I grew up pounding roots and fives in bluegrass and oldtyme string bands around Southwest Virginia. Tony Rice was one of my first true Guitar Heroes. He was a gateway, in so many ways to other music too. There are no details given as yet, but this is devastatingly sad news, if not unsurprising.

https://bluegrasstoday.com/tony-rice-passes/


Rest In Peace, Tony. 

Loved seeing Tony at Telluride, Winter Hawk, and other venues around the circuit.  Great influence, will be sorely missed...

Saw him with Grisman.   He was one of those special guitarists that left me feeling like I had no idea how to play the instrument.

May the Four Winds Blow You Safely Home.

Bill, tgo

Sad news indeed, been a fan for many years. First saw Tony play when he was in the Grisman Quintet back in the mid-70s... monster guitarist, we have lost another master. R.I.P. Tony

Just heard this. I've expected it would happen any day for a few years, but it really is such a loss. The acoustic music world owes him a huge debt of gratitude for reinventing how guitar music can sound.

Thanks for sharing the news.  And thank you Tony for all the music.

I'm in shock. I don't know what to say (

Just heard about this via Mike Gordon on Instagram... I audibly gasped.

We are at an age where our heroes, inspirations and mentors are leaving.   Cherish what we have around us.

Damn you 2020 - just stop!

Saw him in '04, with Peter Rowan, Billy Bright, and Bryn Bright (now once again Bryn Davies); he was no longer singing - but I can assure he was definitely picking!
A highlight was when Peter & Billy left the stage for "Summertime"; here they are from a few months before that:

Peter

That was a special time too, when Tony made a bit of a comeback tour with Peter Rowan and that ensemble. Old friends making new music, and we hadn't seen him onstage for a good while. (I saw that show at Graves Mountain Lodge, in Syria Virginia I believe that same year, or maybe the year before... I just remember something else very unpleasant that was going on at the time). I've been looking around here today for the album he did with Rowan... I thought it was in the Shop. I may have loaned it to Pops. Gotta' find that.

Here's Tony with Jerry and David from the Pizza Tapes album.

Bill, tgo

Quote from: lbpesq on December 27, 2020, 10:59:54 AM
Here's Tony with Jerry and David from the Pizza Tapes album.

Bill, tgo

I remember what tickled me most about that project Bill, was the little chili-peppers for the "spicy" parts. 

Like I was saying at the front of the post, and have been thinking about all day... Tony was really my portal to music I might not have otherwise been exposed to. Grateful Dead, James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, to say nothing of Norman Blake, Doc Watson, John Hartford... he was like this guy giving out directions; "go here, learn this, go there, learn that, it'll help you later." I didn't question it, I just went.

Oh damn what a loss, I loved Tony, I remember a friend gave me some bootleg record with Tony, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Bela, Victor Wooten.. I listen to that because of Vic, but Instantly fall in love with Tony and blue grass... Such a big loss.

My son, who is a guitarist, worked a large festival in WI a few summers ago at which he served as a waiter for the distillery at which his girlfriend was a manager. since he worked backstage serving drinks to the various artists while they waited to perform, he had a chance to strike up a large number of conversations with the musicians. There were some current big names in attendance but when I asked him who really stood out, the only person he mentioned was Tony. He indicated that a simple question for which he expected a short answer often led to an interesting story almost all of which ended with a "lesson learned."