Discovering Tony Rice by Bill Amatneek - Book Review

When you open "Discovering Tony Rice” by Bill Amatneek, don’t expect a detailed account of the man and his life. Rather, you should step into the world Tony inhabited and changed, sit back and enjoy the ride. Written through the experiences of many musicians who played with Tony over the years, elaborately illustrated, and filled with insights, you’ll come away with a more clear understanding of the man who helped enrich and change acoustic string music while providing insights that no other piece I’ve seen has ever done as well. Those of you who were lucky enough to be in the concert hall at IBMA the day Tony, who had not spoken publicly in years, spoke his farewell words, shortly before his death, will never forget that moment. This book is filled with such  moments. 

Amatneek has relied on interviews from a range of people who played a part in Tony Rice’s life and legend. He manages to create a rational narrative as he moves from one interview to the next, tying together each segment to produce a coherent  narrative, while always keeping the narrative clean and clear. Many of the voices (Mark Schatz, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, and many more) are well known to all acoustic music fans, while others are names that many people won’t recognize. The interviews seem to be transcribed from recording, creating a unique voice for each one.  Meanwhile, the transitions are clear, helping to find the roots of a man who remained an enigma to many of his best friends as well as his biggest fans right through to the end.

Jerry Douglas’ interview is particularly interesting and moving because he shows the anger and hurt Tony caused his friends because he was unwilling or unable to face the demons of drugs, depression, and physical limitations that made him unable to continue to play or sing. People tried to get him to find help, but he refused to do so. Tony was, according to Douglas, tortured by mental illness. His account of Tony’s last telephone call to him is simply heartbreaking, no matter how you might have known or heard about Tony Rice. 

As I was reading the book, I was driven to YouTube to see and hear Tony Rice in his element. In his index, Amatneek provide QR codes to show Tony Rice performances with a variety of bands. Scanning the QR codes allows the reader (listener) to experience the music, bringing him alive, at least through his music. The QR codes might have been even more powerful if they had been scattered through the text at appropriate places, but the reader can still unearth Rice’s music, and perhaps some elements of his character through these video clips.

 Amatneek makes a good argument that much of Tony Rice’s behavioral patterns were those of children of alcoholics. They have difficulty retaining relationships, easily fall under the influence of alcohol and drugs themselves, and have difficulty developing and retaining close relationships. None of the musicians who Bill Amatneek interviewed provide evidence that Tony didn’t fit that pattern. Nevertheless, the interviews themselves provide insight into Tony and, to a certain extent, to the viewpoints the musicians themselves were able to bring to their insight into Tony’s internal issues. They all, however, spoke in volumes about his musicianship, which they agreed was beyond that met by any previous guitar players, or any of those who have followed in Rice’s footsteps.

Tony Rice at IBMA Hall of Fame Award - 2013

Photo by Ted Lehmann

The layout of the book, at first, seems somewhat confusing, but becomes coherent and sensible as a readable and clear narrative. By choosing to allow the interviews to include long direct quotations, Amatneek lets Tony’s friends and band-mates talk for themselves, creating a more informal and personal presentation from a number of viewpoints. Perhaps he sacrifices coherence and accuracy for immediacy, however, the text reflects the aura of the era in which these musicians created their own legends and lives.

Bill Amatneek is widely published in a variety of music oriented outlets. Furthermore, he played with Tony Rice in many different bands through the ages. His writing is both personal and professional, yielding a persuasive portrait of a troubled genius through the many high and low periods of his life. The book has an unusual layout that grew on my as I read it. It reflects many of the challenges and difficulties Tony himself must have grappled with. You can order Discovering Tony Rice as an autographed hardback, hardback, or in a paper back format through Vineyard Press.