Discovering Tony Rice, an oral biography of the man who revolutionized bluegrass guitar, has received a nomination for the 2026 Woody Guthrie Book Award, given annually by the International Association for the Study of Popular Music-US Branch.
Written by Bill Amatneek, who played bass with the David Grisman Quintet on their debut, self-titled album, it consists of transcribed interviews with those who knew Tony well. Included are thoughts from Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck, Mark Schatz, Ron Rice, Frank Poindexter, Harry Sparks, Peter Rowan, and several others.
The 2026 Woody Guthrie Book Award is for volumes published in 2024, and will be given to the most outstanding such book on popular music. The winner will be announced during the annual IASPM-US conference, to be held at the George Washington University’s Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, February 26-March 1, 2026.
Best of luck to Discovering Tony Rice in this competition.
In announcing this nomination, author Bill Amatneek also mentioned something new he is offering to schools, libraries, clubs, and festivals – a one-hour multi-media presentation that includes rare photos, clippings, music, and video that tell the story of Rice’s life and career.
Anyone interested in hosting this presentation is invited to contact Bill via his publishing company, Vineyard Press.
