The 10 Best Tony Rice Songs for Acoustic Guitar (with Chords & Tabs)


best tony rice songs for acoustic guitar chords and tabs

Tony Rice is one of the greatest acoustic guitarists to have ever lived, particularly in the world of bluegrass music. Today we’ll be looking at Tony’s best songs on the acoustic guitar.

For those who want to learn some of Tony’s best acoustic guitar songs, I’ve linked to chords, tabs and video lesson wherever I could to make these songs easier to learn. However: note that many of Tony’s songs are covers, and in a few cases below only chords and tabs for the original song by the original artist are available. This means you may need to use a capo to move the song into whatever key Tony is playing in. This is relatively easy to do by ear.

Welcome to Acoustic World
Welcome to Acoustic World

Please note: this list is in no particular order, and Tony has plenty of amazing songs that aren’t covered here. These are just some of my favorites.

Also Note: You will need a capo in order to play many of these songs! You can read about what a capo is and how to use it in this post. Here’s my favorite capo:

Grab My Favorite Capo From Amazon

Now let’s jump into the 10 Best Tony Rice Songs for Acoustic Guitar:

Church Street Blues

Church Street Blues Chords & Tabs

Church Street Blues Video Lesson

Church Street Blues was written by Norman Blake, but Tony’s version is a favorite among bluegrass guitarists, and one of the songs that made me fall in love with this genre of music. While Norman’s version is perhaps more “melodic” Tony’s cover above features faster and more complicated flatpicking and crosspicking patterns.

Freeborn Man

Freeborn Man Chords & Tabs

Freeborn Man Video Lesson

This song was originally written by The Outlaws, but Tony’s playing on it was what put the song on my radar. It features an incredible solo from Tony, and the live version above has an all-star cast holding down the rest of the band – with Bela Fleck on banjo, Sam Bush on Mandolin, and Jerry Douglas on Dobro, and Mark O’Connor on fiddle.

Last Thing on My Mind

Last Thing on My Mind Chords & Tabs

(Note: Tab is for Tom Paxton version! Key may need to be changed with capo for Tony’s version)

Tom Paxton, a renowned songwriter in his own right, originally wrote this song. However, Tony’s version adds some signature guitar flare that you just won’t find in the original Paxton version.

One More Night

One More Night Chords & Tabs

(Note: Tab is for Bob Dylan version! Key may need to be changed with capo for Tony’s version)

One More Night Video Lesson

One artist Tony frequently covered was Bob Dylan. Dylan released this song on The Nashville Skyline album, but Tony’s version is almost unrecognizable compared to the original – yet in a good way. Dylan’s version is very casual, while Tony’s is much more sentimental and the acoustics are more articulated.

Fare Thee Well

Fare Thee Well Chords & Tabs

Another Bob Dylan cover, this song Fare Thee Well is from Tony’s Cold on the Shoulder album. Tony Rice is at the top of his game here. The song also features great flatpicking, fiddle, mandolin, banjo…the works. Plus with the back up stars he has on this album, this has to be a pure delight.

New River Train

New River Train Chords & Tabs

New River Train Video Lesson

One of Tony’s best albums are the “Blake & Rice” series he released with Norman Blake. In it, these two guitar masters team up on some traditional and bluegrass favorites, showcasing incredible guitar licks all along the way. New River Train is one of my favorites from the album. You get to hear Tony and Norman switch off, taking turns on vocals and lead guitar breaks.

I’ve Waited As Long As I Can

I’ve Waited As Long As I Can Chords & Tabs

A bluegrass classic, I’ve waited as long as I can is from Tony’s album Tony Rice Plays & Sings Bluegrass.

I Wonder Where You Are Tonight

I Wonder Where You Are Tonight Chords & Tabs

I Wonder Where You Are Tonight Video Lesson

A classic song performed by everyone from Jim & Jesse to Dolly Partion, I Wonder Where You Are Tonight gets an updated bluegrass spin in Tony’s fast-paced version.

This Morning At Nine

This Morning At Nine Chords & Tabs

Tony does some great singing, picking, and lead playing on this song that I believe was first written and recorded by the Country Gentleman.

Will You Be Loving Another Man

Will You Be Loving Another Man Chords & Tabs

This may be my favorite song from the Tony Rice Plays and Sings Bluegrass album. It’s fast paced and has an incredible solo from Tony.

Looking for More Bluegrass Guitar Masters?

I hope you enjoyed my list of the best Tony Rice songs. While no one can replace Tony, there are other amazing bluegrass & flatpicking guitarists out there. If you’re looking to discover other great bluegrass guitar talent, I put together a list of my 30 favorite players. I hope you discover something you like on it 🙂

Check out the 30 Best Bluegrass Flatpicking Guitarists of All Time

Ready to Get Better at Guitar, Faster?

Whenever you’re ready to take your guitar playing to the next level, check out a few of my favorite resources below:

The Best Acoustic Guitar Strings – A unique polymer coating makes these guitar strings last for months or even years at a time, making for an exceptional value. They provide the perfect mix of boom, range, twang, and brightness that acoustic music is known for. — CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

The Best Acoustic Guitar – Beloved by everyone from Paul Simon to Gordon Lightfoot, the Martin D-18 is one of Martin’s most legendary guitars ever… It’s an excellent, premier quality acoustic guitar for bluegrass, country, folk, rock and more. This is also what I play myself — CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Chords, Tabs & Video Lessons for 100 Epic Songs – This free guide that I created for fellow guitarists gives you chords, tabs, and video lessons for the 100 best songs to learn on guitar… I spent many hours putting this guide together to help you get better at guitar, faster. — CLICK HERE TO GET IT FREE

Fingerpicking vs Flatpicking Guitar – Learn which picking style is right for YOU by exploring examples, history, and popular players of each style. Discover essential techniques and pros and cons of each approach. — CLICK HERE TO GET IT FREE

Corbin Buff

Corbin has played guitar for over a decade, and started writing about it on Acoustic World in an effort to help others. He lives and writes in western Montana.

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