As well as his solo recordings and as The Tony Rice Unit, he was a founding member of The David Grisman Quintet (setting the guitar standard for the bluegrass-jazz fusion music often called Dawg after the bearded facial appearance of David Grisman) and The Bluegrass Album Band. He has also recorded as Ricky Skaggs & Tony Rice, Norman Blake & Tony Rice, Tony Rice & David Grisman, Tony Rice & John Carlini, Jerry Garcia, David Grisman & Tony Rice, Peter Rowan & Tony Rice, and John Hartford, Tony Rice & Vassar Clements.
Rice spanned the range of acoustic music, from straight-ahead bluegrass to jazz-influenced new acoustic music, to songwriter-oriented folk. He is remembered as perhaps the greatest innovator in acoustic flatpicked guitar since Clarence White. Over the course of his career, he played alongside J.D. Crowe and the New South, David Grisman (during the formation of “Dawg Music”), led his own groups, collaborated with fellow picker Norman Blake and recorded with his brothers. He recorded with drums, piano, soprano sax, and with straight-ahead bluegrass instrumentation.
Rice was born in Danville, Virginia but grew up in California, where he was introduced to bluegrass by his father. He and his brothers learned a lot from hot L.A. pickers like the Kentucky Colonels, led by Roland and Clarence White. Crossing paths with fellow enthusiasts like Ry Cooder, Herb Pederson and Chris Hillman reinforced the strength of the music he had learned from his father.
In 1970, Rice moved back to Kentucky where he played with the Bluegrass Alliance, and shortly thereafter, J.D. Crowe’s New South. The New South was known as one of the best and most progressive bluegrass groups - even adding drums and electric instruments. But when Ricky Skaggs joined up in 1974, the band recorded J.D. Crowe & the New South, an acoustic album that became Rounder’s top-seller up to that time. With Rice on guitar and vocals, Crowe on banjo and vocals, Jerry Douglas on Dobro, Skaggs on fiddle and mandolin and Bobby Slone on bass, the band’s energy, as well as their instrumental and vocal drive have rarely been matched.
Around this time Rice met mandolinist David Grisman, who played with Red Allen during the ‘60s and was now working on some original material that blended jazz, bluegrass and classical styles. Rice left the New South and moved to California to join Grisman’s all instrumental group. As part of the David Grisman Quintet, Rice expanded his horizons beyond three chord bluegrass, studying chord theory, learning to read charts and expanding the range of his playing.
In 1979, he left the group to pursue his own music. He recorded Acoustics, a guitar-oriented record, and then Manzanita which collected some favorite folk and bluegrass vocals. In 1980, Rice, Crowe, Bobby Hicks, Doyle Lawson and Todd Phillips formed a highly successful coalition, attacking bluegrass standards under the name the Bluegrass Album Band. This group recorded six volumes of music.
Rice’s solo career hit its stride with Cold on the Shoulder, a collection of bluegrass vocals. With this album, Native American and Me & My Guitar, Rice arrived at a formula that incorporated his disparate influences, combining bluegrass, the songwriting of folk artists like Ian Tyson, Joni Mitchell, Phil Ochs and especially Gordon Lightfoot, with nimble, jazz-inflected guitar work. Simultaneously, he pursued his jazz and experimental “spacegrass” with the Tony Rice Unit on Mar West, Still Inside and Backwaters.
Two highly regarded albums with traditional guitar virtuoso Norman Blake gained a great deal of acclaim, as well as two Rice Brother albums that reunited him with his younger brother, Wyatt. Tony Rice remained one of bluegrass’ top instrumentalists and singers, bringing originality and vitality to everything he played.
Official Website: Tony Rice
On Green Dolphin Street
Tony Rice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A man, a maid, a kiss, and then goodbye
Romance was the theme
And we were the players
I never think of this without a sigh
Lover, one lovely day
Love came, planning to stay
The setting for nights beyond forgetting
And through these moments apart memories live in my heart
When I recall the love I found on
I could kiss the ground on Green Dolphin Street
Lover, one lovely day
Love came, planning to stay
Green Dolphin Street supplied the setting
The setting for nights beyond forgetting
And through these moments apart memories live in my heart
When I recall the love I found on
On Green Dolphin Street
Tony Rice's song "On Green Dolphin Street" is a nostalgic recollection of a past romance. The lyrics reflect the memory of a moment shared between a "man, a maid, a kiss, and then goodbye" while "romance was the theme". The song goes on to describe the setting of the romance as "Green Dolphin Street", a metaphorical embodiment of the memories that live on even though the lovers have been apart for some time. The phrase "I could kiss the ground on Green Dolphin Street" is a striking declaration of the depth of emotions that the singer is feeling for the place where he experiences a love that he will never forget.
The lyrics paint a picture of a romance that was filled with passion and intensity. The phrase "Love came, planning to stay" captures the strength of the love that was shared between the two people. The memories of the past are still alive in the singer's heart, and even though the romance is over, the place where it was experienced will always hold a special place in his heart. The song's simple, yet beautiful lyrics, show the power of memory and how it can hold onto the most significant moments in life.
Line by Line Meaning
It seems like a dream, yet I know it happened
The memories of our romance are so surreal that they feel like a dream, but I know they really happened.
A man, a maid, a kiss, and then goodbye
Our love story consisted of a man and a woman who fell in love, shared a kiss, but had to eventually say goodbye.
Romance was the theme
The center of our love story was based on romance and passion.
And we were the players
We were the lead characters who played out the romantic story together.
I never think of this without a sigh
Whenever I think about our love that once was, it still brings back emotions and feelings that make me sigh.
Lover, one lovely day
In the beginning, my love was perfect and idealistic.
Love came, planning to stay
I was hopeful that my love would last forever and remain with me forever.
Green Dolphin Street supplied the setting
Green Dolphin Street was the place where our love began and set the scene for all of our cherished moments.
The setting for nights beyond forgetting
The nights we spent there were so memorable that they will never be forgotten.
And through these moments apart memories live in my heart
Even though we are apart now, the memories of our love still live on in my heart and will always be cherished.
When I recall the love I found on
Whenever I think back to the love we shared,
I could kiss the ground on Green Dolphin Street
I feel such intense gratitude and love for that place where our love story began, that I would even kiss the ground in thankfulness.
On Green Dolphin Street
Our love story began and flourished on Green Dolphin Street.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Tratore, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: BRONISLAW KAPER, NED WASHINGTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rick Schoeny
on Urge For Going
who is author of never meant to be
Rick Schoeny
on Never Meant to Be
who is author
ถวิล สุวรรณ์
on Four Strong Winds
ปักหมุด
ถวิล สุวรรณ์
on Me And My Guitar
not a song