Month: May 2009

  • Singing with Johnny Cash

    Here’s a fun sing-a-long that my old band Brush Arbor did with Johnny Cash and his family (Mother Maybelle Carter, June Carter Cash, Anita Carter and his daughters Rosie and Rosanne) on an NBC-TV special in December, 1973. We’re on the back row wearing our “Nudie Suits.” The clip opens with a quick shot of…

  • A Salute to My Dad on Memorial Day

    I write this on Memorial Day 2009 as we pay tribute to all the men and women who have served our country over the years, especially those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and way of life. I want to remember especially my father John Forest Rice, who was a Navy Seabee…

  • Alison Brown at Anthology

    Marci and I went to see Alison Brown last night at a local San Diego supper club called Anthology. Yesterday’s San Diego Reader carried an interview with Alison which included a nice mention for my radio show: “And I tuned in every Sunday night to Wayne Rice’s Bluegrass Special on KSON. He’s still on the…

  • The Rice Kryspies: 40 Years Ago

    I began my youth ministry career as a club director for Ventura County (California) Youth for Christ in 1963. Folk music was getting real popular about that time (Joan Baez, the Kingston Trio, Bob Dylan, the New Christy Ministrels) so we formed our own folk groups as a way to be “relevant” with teenagers. The…

  • Demon Banjos

    An interesting post from the Dallas Morning News religion blog: “My grandfather had this conversion experience and went to West Virginia Wesleyan. He was kicked out of a church in 1919 for playing the banjo with the youth group. Obviously everybody knew the banjo was an instrument of Satan! … Beware the demon banjo.” Funny,…

  • Teens on Bluegrass

    OK, I know bluegrass isn’t going to replace hip hop anytime soon as the music of choice for teenagers, but I’m no longer surprised by groups like the The Doerfels who suddenly appear out of nowhere. I don’t know too much about this family band except they are from Florida and just released a new…