Tony Rice, guitarist who brought a touch of jazz to bluegrass, dies at 69
Terence McArdle, The Washington Post
Dec. 28, 2020
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Tony Rice performs in Bethesday, Md., in 2012.Photo for The Washington Post by Josh Sisk
Tony Rice, a virtuoso bluegrass guitarist and singer who collaborated with Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Garcia and Béla Fleck, and who, with mandolinist David Grisman, defined the synthesis of bluegrass, jazz and chamber music known as dawg music, died Dec. 25 at his home in Reidsville, N.C. He was 69.
His death was confirmed in a news release by Casey Campbell, a spokesman for the International Bluegrass Music Association, who did not give a cause of death.
Sep 12, 2020 - 1:23 pm
Frederick Toots Hibbert, who pioneered and helped globalize the reggae genre via his iconic, GRAMMY-winning band Toots And The Maytals, died Friday (Sept. 11) evening. He was 77.
While no cause of death has been revealed, Hibbert was hospitalized in an intensive care unit in his native Jamaica in August after showing symptoms of the coronavirus. While he was awaiting results from a coronavirus test, he was placed in a medically induced coma in early September. Toots is fighting for his life and his family is asking for prayers, Claude Mills, Hibbert s publicist, told Jamaican daily newspaper The Gleaner.
To me,
Manzanita is Rice s quintessential solo album because it showcases his talents as a composer and versatility as a guitar player and singer at the top of his game. I think of this tune as Rice s take on the blend of bluegrass, jazz and folk that Grisman pioneered, known as dawg music. You can hear how much influence Grisman had on Rice s playing and writing. In his autobiography, Rice talks about how Grisman was the one who encouraged him to write his own music. Manzanita is the only original song on the album, but it shows Rice coming into his own as a composer and displays his unique interpretation of jazz through the lens of bluegrass guitar playing.
Bluegrass guitarist/singer Tony Rice dies at 69
Sunday, December 27, 2020 – Bluegrass guitarist Tony Rice, a member of the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame, died on Christmas at the age of 69.
Rice died sometime Friday morning while making coffee, according to Ricky Skaggs, who played with Rice and released a statement on his behalf. 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.