By: Jason Young
In light of his passing, the iconic bluegrass guitarist ,Tony Rice (June 8, 1951 – December 25, 2020), continues to make headlines. Paying homage to the Virginia-born guitar legend was flat-picking sensation, Billy Strings. While playing Tony’s prized Martin D-28, he announced during his concert that Camp Springs Bluegrass Park would hold a two-day festival to honor Tony.
“I had looked at other bluegrass greats and saw that they had festivals named after them. I thought it would be a great idea to name one after one of the best acoustic guitar players ever,” said Camp Springs owner and organizer, Cody Johnson, in a conversation with Guitar International.
Performers who joined the festival shared fond memories of Rice’s music and generosity. Savannah Church Alvis recalled in a statement to Bluegrass Today, “We were about twelve, and he made us feel like our music was important. We are all influenced by Tony’s music.”
Other performers included Caroline Owens, The Megan Doss Band, Blue Highway, Back Porch Orchestra, Darin and Brooke Aldridge, The Church Sisters, Franklin Station, The Kody Norris Show, Southern Legacy, and legendary group, The Seldom Scene.
Despite showers during Saturday’s portion of the festival, the audience sat enjoying live music throughout the day. Some huddled together under umbrellas as performances continued.
Cody described the weather on Saturday as “dreary and rainy,” going on to say that he prayed for good weather.
Known as the Tony Rice Memorial Day Musicfest, Camp Springs Bluegrass Park, Elon, North Carolina, will hold the event annually. Formerly owned by Charles Haney, brother of bluegrass festival organizer Carlton Haney, the site is now the property of Cody Johnson and his wife, Donna.
“This place was very special to him,” said Tony’s widow, Pamela Hodges Rice, about her late husband. (Interview by Bluegrass Today)
In the past, the venue hosted legendary performers that include Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, The Osborn Brothers, Earl Scruggs, Jimmy Martin, and JD Crowe, to name only a few. It is where Rice played his first show in 1971 with JD Crowe’s New South and his last with the Bluegrass Alliance.
The festival honoring Rice is the latest addition to the Camp Springs concert lineup. Re-opening for its fiftieth anniversary in 2020, the once bustling campsite, which had fallen into disrepair, is now enjoying a bluegrass festival revival, thanks to the efforts of Cody, and Donna.
Purchasing the land in 2018, Cody stepped into the promotion business for the first time with his wife. His dad, Bill Johnson, (seen in the film Bluegrass Country Soul), who handled odd jobs for the original 1970s Camp Springs events, introduced Cody to bluegrass festivals at an early age.
“I had been to a lot of bluegrass festivals when I was small,” Cody remembered, going on to name Camp Springs, as one of the festivals he regularly attended with his dad.
Working on the Tony Rice Music Festival with the Johnsons was Pamela, and their daughter India.
“Me, Pam and India, sat down and we wanted to include some people that Tony had played with in the past,” recounts Cody adding that Veteran musicians Ronnie Simpkins of Seldom Scene along with Josh Williams who played with Tony in the Tony Rice Unit where present at the Memorial Day festival.“We tried to put a twist in some of the acts that had something to do with Tony,” explained Cody.
Going on, Cody also stated that Rice had grown up near Camp Springs in North Carolina becoming one of the greatest guitar players of all time. “I think for us to honor his work on guitar and bluegrass and other kinds of music, it’s a pretty cool deal.”
About Jason Young: Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jason is a forty-year music veteran. A guitar prodigy at the age of eight, he dedicated his life to writing music, audio engineering, and becoming fluent in drums, piano, mandolin, banjo, dobro, and bass. Also a singer and performer, he and his brother formed the band The Young Brothers. Writing a song with Kid Rock for the Rebel Soul album adds to his list of music accomplishments. Jason’s love of music spans rock ‘n’ roll, country, blues, and jazz. Passionate about music history, Jason is knowledgeable in many genres and enjoys writing about performers. Today, Jason focuses on writing articles for his Blue Railway Podcast website.
