Blue Note

American Music Club

Peter Rowan and Tony Rice tour in support of their first full-fledged album as a duo

Though they've spent plenty of time on the road together over the years, Americana icons Peter Rowan and Tony Rice had never made a full album together until late last year, when they entered the studio together with Billy and Bryn Bright on mandolin and double bass respectively to record You Were There for Me (Rounder). It's an album that begs the question, “What took you guys so long?” Indeed, the pairing seems as natural as Lennon and McCartney, Simon and Garfunkel, Flatt and Skruggs, peanut butter and chocolate.

Although Rowan and Rice are most familiar to fans of bluegrass, the album they've made together—much like the performances they've given as a duo—stradles multiple genres. In the world according to Rowan and Rice, bluegrass lives next door to folk, and the rest of the Americana family makes regular visits to relax on the porch, share stories and pick a few tunes.

Their chemistry is that of long-lost twins—Peter Rowan's soothsayer voice the perfect compliment to Tony Rice's otherworldly command of the guitar for reasons only those of us lucky enough to have siblings can possibly understand. Rowan and Rice are brothers-in-arms the likes of which could change your understanding of American music.