Tony Rice, one of the great guitarists of our age, like Boston Celtics great KC Jones, died on Christmas Day.
Rice, who was born in Danville, Virginia, moved with his family to California before moving back East as an adult.
He learned bluegrass in LA and he became a supernova in the bluegrass world. His influences ranged far and wide, including Django Rheinhardt and other tributaries to the great river that is Jazz. He did thing with the form that no one except maybe kindred spirit Bela Fleck even imagined.
Yet at heart he was a bluegrass picker and singer as you’ll see here in this incredible performance of Freeborn Man.