Tony Rice is by far one of the most important guitarists in bluegrass music. I’d even go as far as saying he’s one of the most important bluegrass guitarists.
To see how far-reaching Tony Rice is in the guitar world, I’ve created a special episode. We’re going to play the 6-degrees of Tony Rice. So, while looking at Tony Rice’s influences, we’ll also see how far those influences influenced others!
In addition to talking about Tony Rice’s influences, we’ll also feature the Heartbreaker Guitars Newscast, a new segment called “Guitar Gratitude,” and so much more!
As always, you can watch Acoustic Tuesday at 10 am every Tuesday in these four places:
- Acoustic Life YouTube channel
- We Play Every Day Facebook Community
- Get show notes emailed directly to your inbox.
- Listen to audio-only below or in iTunes
This Week on Acoustic Tuesday
Tony Rice’s 6 Biggest Influences
As I talked about earlier, I’ve been able to pinpoint Tony Rice’s 6 biggest influences. To best showcase them, I’ve put together both Tony Rice’s covers of their music, as well as other folks covering their music.
Due to copyright restrictions, I can’t feature the songs in this episode, but I’ll put links to Tony Rice’s covers below!
6) Clarence White
From his flatpicking to owning his actual guitar, Tony Rice was heavily influenced by Clarence White. Tony Rice went as far as owning the exact Martin D-28 that Clarence White owned.
Now, for those of you who don’t know Clarence White was a member of The Kentucky Colonels, The Byrds, and many more bands. As you listen to Clarence White, you can absolutely hear how the rolling flatpicking sounds influenced Tony Rice.
5) Tom Paxton
For those of you who don’t know, Tom Paxton is an incredible songwriter. Paxton led the charge on the folk revival.
Born in Chicago, he relocated to New York City and frequented the Gaslight Cafe. Tony Rice pays homage to Tom Paxton by covering “The Last Thing on My Mind,” on Church Street Blues.
If you listen to the acoustic tone and song selection, Tom Paxton was a huge influence on Tony Rice.
The Doc and Merle Watson cover of “Last Thing on My Mind” is another great example.
4) Jim Croce
In 1994, Tony Rice covered Jim Croce’s “Age” on the Bluegrass Band Vol. 4 album.
Now, besides this album featuring some of the best musicians out there, Jim Croce’s influence on Tony Rice is apparent.
And, while I can’t feature the Croce original or Rice’s cover, I can show you Seth Avett’s cover of “Operator,” so be sure to listen to it today!
3) Ian Tyson
Ian Tyson is a huge influence on Tony Rice. In fact, Tony Rice covered his song “Summer Wages” not once but twice.
The time Tony Rice covered it was on Native American and the second time was on J.D. Crowe and the New South’s self-titled album. If you haven’t heard that album, you need to hear it!
2) Joni Mitchell
In Tony Rices 1992 album Native American, he covered Joni Mitchell’s gentle seasonal ballad “Urge for Going.”
Now, if you haven’t heard the original, I highly recommend it. The lyrics are great, the phrasing is fantastic, and I love Joni’s voice. All of this is to say that Tony Rice definitely tried to borrow from Joni Mitchell’s lyricism.
To help illustrate it and show the profound impact that Joni Mitchell had on the scene and how it further influenced Tony Rice, I’ve featured a clip of Dave Van Ronk covering “Urge for Going.”
1) Gordon Lightfoot
The first degree of influence, of course, is Gordon Lightfoot.
Lightfoot’s influence on Tony Rice can be seen in his songwriting, flatpicking, and overall style and tone.
See, Lightfoot led the charge on the folk revival in Canada. As such, Tony Rice actually dedicated an entire album to Gordon Lightfoot.
Guitar Gratitude
I think the guitar is one of the most powerful inanimate objects in the world. It’s able to connect people, decades apart and thousands of miles away.
The emotional weight that the guitar holds is almost immeasurable in my life. That’s why I decided to create a new segment on Acoustic Tuesday: Guitar Gratitude.
This new segment is dedicated to showcasing just how important the acoustic guitar is in my life and the lives of others.
As you watch this episode of Acoustic Tuesday, I hope it gives you a chance to reflect on the emotional power of the guitar.
Heartbreaker Guitar Newscast
While most of us are at home these days, I thought I could take you on a little field trip in this episode.
How does sunny Las Vegas, Nevada sound?
This week, Brendan from Heartbreaker Guitars will be giving us the latest and hottest industry news in the acoustic guitar world.
Specifically, Brendan is going to be talking about Furch Guitars.
Now, there has been a lot of buzz about Furch Guitars over the last few years. They’ve introduced the Rainbow Series, their prices dropped by about 20%, their quality has remained strong, and so much more.
Be sure to watch the full episode of Acoustic Tuesday to see the Furch models that Brendan is previewing!
Wheel of Guitar Improvement
To close out this episode of Acoustic Tuesday, I’m talking about the Wheel of Guitar Improvement.
Before we get too deep into this, I want you to reflect a little.
Have you ever felt like you’re not going anywhere on your guitar journey?
Do you feel like your progress is slow or nonexistent?
I promise you that, most likely, your filled with self-doubt and you might be comparing yourself to others too much.
To solve this problem, think about using my Wheel of Guitar Improvement. Every few months, I want you to use the WOGI to evaluate your practice and playing. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll find!
Caught Molly Tuttle last night on Facebook and it finished off a great day of practicing!!
Names like Tom Paxton and Dave Van Ronk take me WAY back to my folkie days. We’re talkin’ 50 years ago… well before Tony P was born.
I really have trouble using the WOGI. I’d rate myself 4 on Consistent Practice and 3 or 4 on Fretboard Knowledge. But I’m never satisfied with my technique, and I’d probably rate myself below 1 on every other category. I’m sure that I’m improving, but so far away from my goals that those ratings never change. Maybe in a few more years…
Holy Molly Tuttle!!! Sorry, got away from myself a bit there… Tony! I’ve been watching ALT religiously (that evening – work gets in the way when you’re live) since I read about, then joined TAC last summer. And I always learn something and get some tips on artists and trivia I wasn’t aware of. But THIS WEEK!! Takes the cake! (Sorry for all the !!! – can’t help it!!) This show was totally awesome! Knowing the 6 degrees of Tony Rice was an eye-opener for me. I’ve always loved Tony, but never really looked at some of the covers he did or realized who he was being influenced by. And Why, you ask? Because almost every one of those artists has also been instrumental (pun, right?) for ME, TOO! I’ve loved all those songs forever and have always tried to incorporate their songs and techniques (at least the ones I could figure out how to play) into my own music. I just have to say Thank you, Thank you! So many memories. And the inspiration to drag their work all out and listen to it again with new ears. Can’t say enough good things about ALT and TAC in general and this episode in particular. Guitar Geeks Unite! (And I’m still hopeful ALF will be possible this summer.)
Thanks Tony for another inspiring show that enhances my acoustic life. It was awesome to see and hear music by TonyRice and his influences, I went to youtube and watched a very energetic young band including Tony Rice, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Mark O’Connor playing John Hardy was a desperate Little Man at breakneck speed! (loved it) and looked up music from his influences. I love to watch AT and find new influences on my guitar journey. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm of all things guitar!!! Sincerely Brian L, (fan from Cape Cod)
Hey Tony. Doyle Dykes has a online concert at his website as well as a few free lessons. . His “Guitar Poor” tee shirt is really cool. I hate to try it on because it is folded like a miniature guitar.
Going back to AT134, after watching the show I checked the prices on Gibson Hummingbirds and decided the cheapest one is still out of my price range so I ordered an Epiphone Hummingbird on Amazon. This was on the Wednesday after AT134. To my great amazement, a large box was delivered on the following Saturday. When I opened the box, however, I found not an Epiphone Hummingbird but a crib mattress! Needless to say, I was on my computer to Amazon letting them know that I received the wrong item. Due to the COVID-19 situation, I won’t receive my guitar until the end of April but I have already picked out a name for it. I will post a picture when it arrives. Guitar Geeks Unite.
The wheel Huh? This a combo CBT and DBT therapy but applied to music. More DBT. Very good application.
You probably already know this, but Molly Tuttle is going to be streaming on the Martin web site today
Love the show. Never seem to be able to watch live, but replay every week. Question: Is the Tony Rice / Clarence White classic D28 infamous or famous? Love the story of how Tony acquired it, but unless there’s more to the story I don’t understand the description as infamous. Anyway, thanks for the show and for TAC. Waiting for my AT shirt to arrive. Guitar geeks unite!
Norman Blake
Tony, after listening to this excellent show last night, I shared the link with my old friend Richard McKee, who was my guitar mentor in 1965. After he listened to it, he shared his own recollections, which I got his permission to share with your all:
“I first saw Tony Rice when he was a member of The Seldom Scene, a bunch of veteran bluegrass guys who were commercially successful back in the day. Their vocalist was Jonathan Edwards, who was a sort of pop performer, but did some nice work with the TSS. I think it was the only time I saw Tony perform when he wasn’t wearing a suit and tie. He was always suited up “properly” regardless of the setting. Tony had a lot of health issues when he aged that prevented him from playing, and I don’t know if he has been able to pick up a guitar. Of course, he, Brad Paisley and Janice Ian are the most famous Santa Cruz players. He worked with Richard Hoover for months to create the Modern iteration of the Clarence White D-28 that Tony bought. The Tony Rice Signature model, was one of SC’s most popular Dreadnoughts.”