The Tony Rice Unit
Band · Active 1979–present
Classic Bluegrass
The Tony Rice Unit was Tony Rice's progressive-acoustic vehicle — the band billing under which he released his most adventurous instrumental work. Distinct from his traditional bluegrass catalog (see separate Tony Rice entry) and his Bluegrass Album Band sessions, the Unit records explored the jazz-influenced “spacegrass” territory Rice had first ventured into with the David Grisman Quintet.
- Formed in 1979 while Rice was still with the David Grisman Quintet; the Unit extended the Quintet's chamber-acoustic approach into Rice-led territory with his own compositions and vocal material.
- Core personnel rotated but typically included some combination of Todd Phillips (mandolin, bass), Darol Anger (fiddle), Mike Marshall (mandolin), Fred Carpenter (fiddle), John Reischman (mandolin), and Rickie Simpkins (fiddle).
- Acoustics (Kaleidoscope/Rounder, 1979) was the instrumental debut — “Manzanita,” “Swing 51,” “Fifty-Year-Old Flowers” — pure jazz-inflected acoustic music.
- Manzanita (Rounder, 1979) is the landmark: a back-to-traditional-roots record with guests Sam Bush, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, David Grisman, Darol Anger, and Todd Phillips. Contains “Old Train,” “Blackberry Blossom,” “Ginseng Sullivan,” and “Home from the Forest” — often cited as the finest bluegrass album of the 1970s.
- Mar West (Rounder, 1980) returned to spacegrass territory, with Rice-composed instrumentals and more adventurous harmonic exploration.
- Still Inside (Rounder, 1981) continued the Unit's original-material direction.
- Backwaters (Rounder, 1982) featured a shift toward singer-songwriter material, presaging Rice's later solo vocal records like Cold on the Shoulder and Native American.
- Devlin (Rounder, 1987/90) was a long-delayed Unit release that had been shelved; issued after considerable fan demand.
- Unit of Measure (Rounder, 2000) was the final Tony Rice Unit album, a return to the instrumental jazz-grass aesthetic with Rickie Simpkins and John Reischman. Rice's vocal cord problems were already beginning to surface at this point.
- Tony Rice Unit sessions also overlapped with Rice's guest work on Bela Fleck's Drive, various David Grisman projects, and multiple Bluegrass Album Band volumes — Rice remained prolific throughout the Unit's active years.
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Blue Railroad TrainManzanita (1979)
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Ginseng SullivanManzanita (1979)
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Hold Whatcha GotManzanita (1979)
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Home From the ForestManzanita (1979)
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I Hope You Have LearnedManzanita (1979)
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Little SadieManzanita (1979)
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Midnight on the Stormy DeepManzanita (1979)
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Nine Pound HammerManzanita (1979)
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Old TrainManzanita (1979)
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Blackberry BlossomManzanita (1979)
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Gold RushUnit of Measure (2000)
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Jerusalem RidgeUnit of Measure (2000)
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ManzanitaManzanita (1979)
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Stoney PointManzanita (1979)
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Swing 42Unit of Measure (2000)
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Tony RicePlayed on recordings with The Tony Rice Unit
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Jerry DouglasPlayed on recordings with The Tony Rice Unit
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Sam BushPlayed on recordings with The Tony Rice Unit
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Todd PhillipsPlayed on recordings with The Tony Rice Unit
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Ricky SkaggsPlayed on recordings with The Tony Rice Unit
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Jimmy GaudreauPlayed on recordings with The Tony Rice Unit
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Rickie SimpkinsPlayed on recordings with The Tony Rice Unit
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Ronnie SimpkinsPlayed on recordings with The Tony Rice Unit
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Wyatt RicePlayed on recordings with The Tony Rice Unit