Tony Rice

George Kimery · Post by **George Kimery** » 26 Dec 2020 3:30 pm

I just saw a post on Facebook that Tony has died. If true, condolences to his family and friends.

Jim Pitman · Post by **Jim Pitman** » 26 Dec 2020 3:46 pm

I'm so bummed.Condolences.

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 26 Dec 2020 4:15 pm

Oh. No.
Itâ€™s like watching the tallest tree in the forest fall over.

I wonder how many thousand pickers out there, like me, that Tony Rice had never met but think of him as their personal guitar trainer, the guidepost, the one of whom you can plainly say, â€œthis is how you do itâ€? And how many million others simply enjoyed his amazing music... So long to one of the true greats, and my condolences to all who knew him.

John Brabant · Post by **John Brabant** » 26 Dec 2020 4:21 pm

More terrible news. This year can’t end soon enough. RIP Tony. You were a good man and a really good guy.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 26 Dec 2020 4:38 pm

He was a giant. What a loss for this world.

Jim Fogle · Post by **Jim Fogle** » 26 Dec 2020 5:22 pm

Wow, I live just a few miles south of his hometwon, Reidsville, NC and had not heard about this.

My condolences to his family and many friends,

Nicholas Cox · Post by **Nicholas Cox** » 26 Dec 2020 5:38 pm

Aw man. Another phenomenal player gone.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_u964a0f38s

Jason Stillwell · Post by **Jason Stillwell** » 26 Dec 2020 7:07 pm

One of the most awesome musical experiences I ever had was seeing and hearing Tony Rice take an EXTENDED solo on Sally Goodin, followed by a spontaneous eruption of applause and a standing ovation. I was 19 years old, and it (along with meeting the man and talking to him before his set) was just one of those "WOW" moments I'll never forget as long as I live.

Mike Auman · Post by **Mike Auman** » 26 Dec 2020 7:53 pm

Thanks for the news, this is sad to hear. He was an amazing player. I met him at a fiddler's convention in NC in the early '70s, he had just moved east from CA and was looking for a gig. Super nice guy and very humble about his talent. He will be missed.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 26 Dec 2020 8:01 pm

Good Lord, when will this end? Tony in his prime has stood as the gold standard for acoustic guitar and bluegrass singing since the 70s when he first exploded on the scene. RIP Tony.

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 26 Dec 2020 8:24 pm

OH my Heart is heavy.
Tony Rice 1951 – 2020
Acclaimed bluegrass guitarist Tony Rice has died at the age of 69. The International Bluegrass Association, Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum and others confirmed Rice passed away yesterday, December 25 at his home in Reidsville, North Carolina.
RIP Tony and I happen to know you were able to play every one of those instruments on that stage far beyond what anyone has heard. Thank you for every bit of your Music through the years; you were a musical inspiration that will last well into Eternity.
Bless your Heart. Go Rest High on that Musical Mountain.

https://youtu.be/-io0lNHzhP8

Tommy White · Post by **Tommy White** » 26 Dec 2020 8:59 pm

Tony was such a huge influence on my playing dobro and pedal steel when I was working with the Whites in the 80s and 90s.
Tony was always a gentleman and consummate world class pro who designed bluegrass playing on any instrument.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 27 Dec 2020 1:22 am

Tony is one of the most influential musicians of all time. his licks have been emulated in bluegrass as much as Monroe and Scruggs. he managed to push boundaries and remain traditional all at once. he was reverent of acoustic string band music while injecting the spirit of John Coltrane. he was bluegrass meets Kind Of Blue. the hippest hick in the game.

godspeed Tony and thank you

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 27 Dec 2020 2:27 am

wow..RIP Tony, I dare say there is probably nobody alive who owns a guitar that you have not touched in one way or another. We need to get the HExx out of 2020, forget 2021 and go right to 2022.

gary pierce · Post by **gary pierce** » 27 Dec 2020 5:36 am

Prayers for his family, Tony was a kind soul, and an inspiration to millions of musicians.
I would always be sure to see his set when at a festival.

John Brabant · Post by **John Brabant** » 27 Dec 2020 5:37 am

More terrible news. This year can’t end soon enough. RIP Tony. You were a good man and a really good guy.

Steve Green · Post by **Steve Green** » 27 Dec 2020 5:40 am

Ricky Skaggs' statement . . .

Ricky Skaggs wrote:Sometime during Christmas morning while making his coffee, our dear friend and guitar hero Tony Rice passed from this life and made his swift journey to his heavenly home. It’s still quite a shock to the whole family. After talking with Tony’s wife Pam and their daughter India, they asked if I would make a statement on their behalf and give them some privacy to process during this difficult time. I was honored to help out. Tony is also survived by his brothers Wyatt and Ronnie, and all of you who loved his music and those who will continue to share it with others.

Tony Rice was the single most influential acoustic guitar player in the last 50 years. Many if not all of the Bluegrass guitar players of today would say that they cut their teeth on Tony Rice’s music. He loved hearing the next generation players play his licks. I think that’s where he got most of his joy as a player. With many IBMA Awards and a Grammy Award, Tony was a gracious recipient of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s highest honor as an inductee into their Hall of Fame in 2013.

Not only was Tony a brilliant guitar player but he was also one of the most stylistic lead vocalists in Bluegrass music history. When I joined the group The New South in 1974, I knew I’d found a singing soul mate with Tony. Our voices blended like brothers. In 1980, we recorded the album 'Skaggs And Rice' for Sugar Hill as a tribute to our duet heroes with just the simplicity of guitar, mandolin, and our voices. All these years later people tell me how much the purity of that record still touches their heart. That’s who Tony was, a singer from the heart.

I will miss him as I’m sure all of you will. But where Tony is right now, he’s not missing us. He’s in the place that God has prepared for those who love Him and receive Him. Rest In Peace dear brother. Thank you for your great talent and the music that will continue to inspire more and more generations to come.
- Ricky Skaggs

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 27 Dec 2020 6:24 am

Heartbreaking. I loved Tony's music and his shadow indeed looms over every acoustic guitar player of the last 50 years. RIP Tony, your music will last forever.

There are a million examples. Here's just one ... his playing here with Peter Rowan was so beautiful and creative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJaLmsxIoqs

Dale Thompson · Post by **Dale Thompson** » 27 Dec 2020 8:09 am

This is a hard one. R.I.P. Tony Rice.

Tim Sergent · Post by **Tim Sergent** » 27 Dec 2020 11:18 am

This is sad. I got to be around Tony several times back in the early '90's when I was in Ricky Skagg's band. What a great player and an equally great guy. That right hand of his was just unbelievable.

R.I.P Tony

A job well done!

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 27 Dec 2020 11:11 pm

My favorite acoustic guitar player of all time. He influenced thousands of players. I will never forget the first time I saw Tony play live as a member of The David Grisman Quintet in San Francisco in 1977 in the early days of Grisman’s “Dawg Music.” He was living here in the Bay Area (Mill Valley) and we had never heard anything like this innovative, cutting edge acoustic music. There will never be another Tony Rice. Rest In Peace sir.

This the Quintet in those days:

Walter Stettner · Post by **Walter Stettner** » 28 Dec 2020 2:14 am

A musical giant has left this world, leaving behind a legacy of musicians all around this planet. So sad...

Man, this year really hits hard.

My prayers and condolences to Tony's family.

Walter Stettner
Vienna, Austria

Tommy Minniear · Post by **Tommy Minniear** » 29 Dec 2020 12:42 pm

I never had the opportunity to see him perform live or to meet him, but I feel like he was a friend. He made me feel that way thru his music by way of television and recordings. My sincerest condolences and sympathies to his family and friends.

Ned McIntosh · Post by **Ned McIntosh** » 29 Dec 2020 3:09 pm

Bluegrass got me started on my musical journey back in about 1975.

Tony Rice was one of the notables back then, he and a certain Clarence White. Tony went on to blaze a trail for guitarists which extended the instrument in Bluegrass to a never-before-achieved level.

He is and will remain a lighthouse in the sea of great Bluegrass guitar-pickers, a fixed point from where one can measure your own prowess.

One of the greatest of the greats, RIP.

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 5 Jan 2021 3:28 am

Another horrendous loss.
He was one of the all time greats, a true master.
And by all reports a true gentleman.
RIP Tony Rice