Tony Rice is one of bluegrass' most inventive flatpicking guitar players. Although he's displayed a mastery of the genre's traditions, Rice set the standard for more contemporary styles. A former member of the Bluegrass Alliance, the David Grisman Quintet, J.D. Crowe's New South, and the Bluegrass Album Band, Rice has continued to reflect his eclectic approach on solo recordings, two albums with flatpicking guitar ace Norman Blake, and two albums recorded with his brothers Larry, Ron and Wyatt as the Rice Brothers. In 1996, Rice joined with Chris Hillman, Herb Pederson, and his brother Larry to record a tradition-rooted album, Out of the Woodwork. ~ Craig Harris