- Inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Association [IBMA] Hall of Fame in 2013.
- Tony Rice's legendary 1935 Martin D-28 guitar was originally owned by Clarence White, a former member of The Byrds.
- Played in the band The New South with Ricky Skaggs in the 1970s.
- Collaborated with Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Chris Hillman, J.D. Crowe, Norman Blake and Ricky Skaggs among many others.
- Released his first solo album in 1973, "Guitar" and nearly a dozen others into the late 2000s.
- Diagnosed with muscle-tension dysphonia in 1994 which ended his singing career.
- He grew up in Los Angeles. He and his brother Larry were introduced to bluegrass music by their father Herb Rice, a mandolin player and founding member of the Golden State Boys. Larry played mandolin while Tony took up the guitar.
- He was an influential acoustic guitar player in bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, newgrass and acoustic jazz.
- Tony Rice is said to have "redefined bluegrass guitar playing and left a lasting imprint on the genre." David Grisman called Rice "a complete musician of the highest caliber", and Ricky Skaggs said he was "the single most influential acoustic guitar player in the last 50 years.".
- Crossing paths with fellow enthusiasts like Ry Cooder, Herb Pedersen and Chris Hillman reinforced the strength of the music he had learned from his father.
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