His name was Tony Rice, arguably, the best "flat-picker", EVER!

When I met him, he was playing for J.D. Crowe; still a great friend and the best 5-string bluegrass banjo player of the last 50 years.

J.D.'s first full-time job was at the Holiday Inn North in the early 70's. I was 2 miles down the road with a hard-line jazz trio. I was also part-time bartender and graduate student. We became tight, and, while I really dislike Bluegrass music, Tony, J.D. and others became tight friends.

J.D. was so tight he had chased off (or starved out) people like Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley and others.

I lost frequent contact with Tony after the mid-70's, but he stopped in to see me a time or two every year.

One listen and I'm sure you'd agree, he was the best at what he did.

I'm so happy he got the world-wide recognition he deserved.

Russ