Unlike many of my peers growing up, I fell in love with folk and bluegrass. My introduction to Tony Rice was like entering the Graceland of Bluegrass & Folk.
I grew up going to chicken stews and family reunions where very often there would be a five-string banjo and a guitar and amateur musicians strumming out old fashion tunes. Little did I know that my DNA was being infused with the love for American traditional stringed music.
My favorite combination was Tony Rice’s interpretation of Canadian music and songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. Lightfoot became successful in folk, folk-rock, and country music. Popularized in the 60s, he is considered one of Canada’s greatest songwriters. His biographer Nicholas Jennings said, “His name is synonymous with timeless songs about trains and shipwrecks, rivers and highways, lovers and loneliness.”
In 1996, Tony Rice created the album “Tony Rice Sings Gordon Lightfoot” which was a compilation of Gordon Lightfoot written tunes. For me, combining the distinctive baritone voice of Rice and raw guitar talent with the ingenious song skills of Lightfoot created music that ranks #1 in album picks. In an interview, Rice said about Lightfoot, “Every written word had value.”
Tony Rice Sings Gordon Lightfoot
Even if you’re not a Rice fan or haven’t heard about Lightfoot, I expect you’ll recognize some of the more popular songs written by Lightfoot; like, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" or "Early Morning Rain" which was popularized by Elvis Presley.
If you have never been introduced to folk or bluegrass, I would recommend you give “Tony Rice Sings Gordon Lightfoot” a try. Without question, it’s my number one favorite album. My favorite song on the album is “Shadows. Later, after the 1996 album, Allison Krause provided her interpretation of this piece with Tony Rice playing lead guitar. I have tug-a-warred in my mind whose version is the best….It all depends on my mood. I encourage you to watch these two Youtube versions and come up with your own favorite.
