G Tune: Guitar Hero

Country artist Keith Urban made a stop at Greenville’s BI-LO Center to play a sold-out show in December 2007. Unknown to most, standing on the left side of the stage and playing guitar with gifted precision and passion was a rock-and-roller from just down the road in Pickens County.

Brad Rice’s musical journey, which began at his parents’ Clemson home, planted him next to Urban and his “Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing” world tour—whisking him through six countries and more than 150 shows, plus notable television appearances on the Country Music Awards, The Tonight Show, Oprah, Good Morning America, and more.

The strumming started like it would for any typical teenager who’s been bitten by rock-and-roll and, in particular, The Rolling Stones and the vibes of Keith Richards and Ron Wood. Locking himself in his room and cranking up Stones and Yardbirds albums, Rice picked up a guitar, listened intently, and let the music move through his fingertips. With no formal instruction, Rice studied the sound and learned to play guitar by ear while jamming with friends.

After graduating Daniel High School, Rice pursued his musical quest in earnest. With three friends from the Greenville area, Rice formed Babylon, whose songs were steeped in the strains of heavy metal. The band went on to become one of the more popular in Greenville while also playing in clubs in surrounding cities.

In the late 1980s, Rice landed in a Winston-Salem, North Carolina, band called the Accelerators, known for their riveting live performances. Rice tightened his guitar riffs and recorded his first album with the Accelerators, which led his playing skills to get noticed. He bumped around with several other rock and alt-country bands before settling in with the Backsliders, a group that not only gained a quick reputation as one of the best honky-tonk rock groups in the Southeast but also helped Rice discover his signature sound.

Fellow Carolinian and musician Ryan Adams and his band Whiskeytown got wind of Rice’s strumming skills. They recruited Rice to join them, and his ride in the fast lane began. After two highly acclaimed albums—Pneumonia and Demolition—Whiskeytown went on tour in 2001 as the opening act for the Rolling Stones' “40 Licks” world tour, pairing Rice with his idols and allowing him to receive priceless pointers from guitar hero Wood. Plus, he got to sample the guitars used by these legends. A yearlong stint with soulful country artist Tift Merritt was followed by some time with Jay Farrar’s acclaimed band Son Volt, experience that further cemented Rice's place in Americana rock.

Rice penned his first solo release, Karma Bed, in 2005. Critically acclaimed for his guitar work, he played every instrument on the CD except drums. In early 2007, he got the call from Urban to join his world tour.

Today, you will find Rice in Austin where he says “there's better Mexican food and barbecue” than in Greenville. He stays busy playing with a new band, The Lower Companions, and sitting in with friends at various venues. His plans for the future are simple: “Taking care of our new son, James Bradley, who's five months old, and preparing to go to Nashville to start rehearsing for the next Keith Urban tour.” Urban makes another stop in Greenville in June, and you can bet our local guitar hero will be there to share the stage, if not the spotlight.
—Jack Bacot