Rice, Rice, Hillman and Pedersen

The quartet Rice, Rice, Hillman & Pederson may share a name that recalls a legal partnership, yet the acoustic country and newgrass ensemble bears no resemblance to any collection of dull scholars. Their origins trace to September 1963, when Larry Rice, Tony Rice, Chris Hillman, and Herb Pedersen shared a stage at a bluegrass festival in Pasadena, California. Three decades and three years afterward, the same musicians convened for informal sessions that yielded Out of the Woodwork, issued by Rounder Records in 1997.

Former Byrd Chris Hillman handles guitar and mandolin, while acoustic guitar hero Tony Rice—who served as the original guitarist for J.D. Crowe & the New South—also contributes lead vocals. Larry Rice, Tony’s brother, plays mandolin and guitar, and former Laurel Canyon Rambler Herb Pedersen supplies banjo along with occasional guitar. Every member rotates through vocal duties, producing varied song-to-song textures along with layered harmonies throughout. Their second, self-titled album arrived in 1999, followed two years later by the warm acoustic collection Running Wild.