The Bluegrass Guitar Collection

by Tony Rice

Overview

There is no question that the most influential lead guitarist in bluegrass history is the late Clarence White. After that, the arguments start. Who comes next -- Doc Watson? Norman Blake? Dan Crary? While you'll never achieve complete consensus on this point, if you took a vote the chances are very good that the second name in the list of important lead guitarists would be that of Tony Rice, who is not only an acknowledged master of the traditional bluegrass idiom but a highly influential stylistic innovator, one who helped create the jazz-grass fusion music of the 1970s and 1980s that came, for better or worse, to be called new acoustic music. This excellent compilation (which gets its title from the serial number of Clarence White's Martin D-28 guitar, which Rice has owned and played since 1975) celebrates his contributions on the more traditional side of things, and its tracks include full-band performances with the likes of the Bluegrass Album Band, his own Tony Rice Unit, and a quartet made up entirely of Rice brothers, as well as a handful of duo recordings with Norman Blake and a rambunctious arrangement of "Lost Indian" for a guitar trio featuring Rice, Blake, and Doc Watson. Although you could argue that his take on Bill Monroe's "Jerusalem Ridge" is maybe a bit lacking in nuance, everything else on this album ranges from great to spectacular. Among the particular highlights are a gorgeous and quite traditional rendition of "Home Sweet Home," a great medley of Irish tunes played in duet with Blake, and a hard-driving arrangement of "Monroe's Hornpipe" on which Rice's solos are like a 60-second seminar on how to combine virtuosity and taste. This album makes an excellent introduction to one of America's most gifted musicians in any genre. ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	11/11/2003
Label:	Rounder Select / New Rounder / Rounder / Universal / Universal Music Classics And Jazz
UPC:	0011661162228
Rank:	2383

Tracks

1. Tipper
2. Monroe's Hornpipe
3. Jerusalem Ridge
4. New Chance Blues
5. Blackberry Blossom
6. Medley: Fiddler's Dream/Whiskey Before Breakfast
7. Whitewater
8. Lost Indian
9. Stoney Point
10. Misty Morning
11. Gold Rush
12. Foggy Mountain Rock
13. Stoney Creek
14. Home Sweet Home
15. Bill Cheatham
16. Stoney Lonesome
17. Soldier's Joy
18. Cheyenne
19. Big Mon
20. Birdland Breakdown
21. Port Tobacco

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Tony Rice   Primary Artist
Sam Bush   Primary Artist,Mandolin,Violin
Norman Blake   Primary Artist,Guitar,Mandolin
The Rice Brothers   Primary Artist
The Bluegrass Album Band   Primary Artist
Mark Schatz   Primary Artist,Bass
Jerry Douglas   Primary Artist,Dobro
Bela Fleck   Primary Artist,Banjo
Stuart Duncan   Primary Artist,Fiddle
The Tony Rice Unit   Primary Artist
Bobby Hicks   Fiddle
J.D. Crowe   Banjo
Fred Carpenter   Violin
Larry Rice   Mandolin
Doc Watson   Guitar
Doyle Lawson   Mandolin
Jimmy Gaudreau   Mandolin
Rickie Simpkins   Fiddle
Ronnie Simpkins   Bass (Acoustic)
Todd Phillips   Bass,Bass (Acoustic)
Darol Anger   Violin
Wyatt Rice   Guitar
David Grisman   Mandolin
Richard Greene & Beryl Marriott   Violin
Vassar Clements   Violin,Fiddle
John Reischman   Mandolin

Technical Credits

Buck Graves   Composer
Bobby Hicks   Composer
Bill Monroe   Composer
Tony Rice   Composer
Bela Fleck   Composer
Ed Haley   Composer
Doyle Lawson   Composer
Gladys Stacey Flatt   Composer
Louise Certain   Composer
Jesse McReynolds   Composer
Jim McReynolds   Composer
Norman Blake   Composer
Gerry Mulligan   Composer
Public Domain   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Tim Talley   Photography
Sarah Lainie Smith   Design
Ron Block   Liner Notes
Anthony Rice   Composer
John Reischman   Composer