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Norman Blake and Tony Rice

Band · Active 1985–1990 · Nashville/Asheville region

Norman Blake and Tony Rice's two duet albums for Rounder Records are regarded as landmarks of two-guitar playing — the pairing of two generations of bluegrass flatpickers, each with a distinct voice (Blake's old-time and folk-influenced approach; Rice's jazz-inflected progressive style) meeting on common ground in Carter Family, Delmore Brothers, and original material.

  • Blake, born 1938 in Chattanooga, was a veteran of the Johnny Cash TV show, John Hartford's Aereo-Plain band, and extensive Bob Dylan (Nashville Skyline) and Kris Kristofferson sessions. Rice, born 1951, had emerged through J.D. Crowe's New South and the David Grisman Quintet (see separate entries).
  • First duet album, simply titled Blake & Rice (Rounder, 1987), paired the two in sparse arrangements with Blake's wife Nancy Blake contributing cello and vocal on select tracks.
  • Repertoire drew deeply from pre-bluegrass sources: “Church Street Blues” (an old Blake composition that Rice later made a signature), “Little Maggie,” “Don't Let Your Deal Go Down,” “Rockingham Cindy,” Carter Family material, and traditional fiddle tunes played as two-guitar arrangements.
  • Follow-up Norman Blake and Tony Rice 2 (Rounder, 1990) continued the same format with more original and traditional material; highlights include “Wildwood Flower,” “Whiskey Before Breakfast,” and “New Camptown Races.”
  • Both albums were recorded simply — two guitars with minimal overdubs — emphasizing timing, tone, and the conversational interplay between Blake's old-time precision and Rice's jazz-inflected improvisations.
  • The records were essential documents of where Rice came from stylistically. Blake was one of Rice's major influences, and hearing them trade breaks showed Rice rooted in the traditional flatpicking lineage beyond his progressive explorations.
  • Both albums remain in print and are frequently cited as essential listening for acoustic guitar students.
  • Blake and Rice did not continue the collaboration on further albums, but both contributed to related projects: Blake appeared on Tone Poems (Grisman/Rice, 1994), and Rice's Unit recordings featured Blake occasionally.
  • Norman Blake has his own entry (A0187); this entry focuses specifically on the two Rounder duo albums credited to the pairing.
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