By BLUEGRASS JOHNSON
Rural Route Music 

BITTER SWEET, Ky. — One of my first influences in music came by way of my grandfather, Chick Johnson, who was a tower of a man with a big voice and a big guitar. He told me once it took a real man to play his guitar, but I tried anyway.

Years later I would come across the music of another man-of-a-guitar player with a booming voice that made old Granddad green with envy.

Tony Rice is one of those guys you think you’ve heard of but few would know on the street unless you are a true bluegrass music aficionado. But a legend, he is.

For me there are two sides to this bluegrass wonder; his velvety baritone voice and his legendary guitar playing.

The first time I heard Rice sing and play was back in the 1970s when he was a part of the New South, better known as J.D. Crowe and the New South. His voice was so strong and meant for the mountain music I adore. I wanted to sing like Tony Rice, but my voice was too high so I had to be content just to listen.

And listen I did, every chance I got. I wore out three copies of the New South album known as Rounder 0044. I couldn’t get enough of it. Those songs never left me and are as alive for me today as they were in 1975.

As recognizable as his voice was, his guitar playing was perhaps what he was best known for. He is universally recognized as one of the best bluegrass/folk/acoustic jazz players in the world.

I wanted to play like Tony Rice but couldn’t begin to come close so I played the bass instead.

Rice would move on from the New South and perform with a host of famous musicians including famed mandolin player David Grisman and Grateful Dead great Jerry Garcia. He also went on to form his own bands.

But the life of a musician is tough and often for bluegrass players, it’s even tougher. Going from show to show, festival to festival will wear a body and voice down.

Unfortunately, that was the case with Rice. His voice was the first to go due to a vocal cord disorder. Arthritis would later take away the guitar. I’ve not heard much about him over the last couple of years but I hope he has found a little peace.

I have often heard, it was the loss of his ability to play the guitar that hurt him the most.

So many times there are lessons we can learn from our own experiences as well as from others. What I learned from Rice was to savor every song, relish every note and delight in every minute you spend with music because you never know when it will be gone.

Thanks to the web and digital music services, Rice’s music will live on forever and allows me to close my eyes and step on stage once again where I can sing and play like Tony Rice. I have placed an A+ on my fourth copy of Rounder 0044.

Bluegrass Johnson offers his opinions on a variety of new country music each week. Readers with questions or comments may write to Johnson in care of this publication.