PETER ROWAN & TONY RICE QUARTET
ADD SHARON GILCHRIST TO TOURING LINEUP

—Legendary musical icons tour in support of their Rounder Records release, You Were There For Me, with new member Sharon Gilchrist on mandolin—

NASHVILLE, TN, April, 2005 — Two of the most influential musicians in American music recently released their first full-fledged album together on Rounder Records. You Were There For Me is the result of two gifted masters of their craft, Peter Rowan and Tony Rice.  A true duet collection in every sense of the word, it features Rowan’s sublime vocals on ten original compositions, and guitar virtuoso Rice’s characteristically elegant and remarkable instrumental work.

Touring together in support of You Were There For Me, Rowan and Rice perform live as the Peter Rowan & Tony Rice Quartet.  Rising-star string bassist and Quartet member Bryn Bright (Old & In The Gray, Jim Lauderdale, Shawn Camp, Tony Rice Unit) guested on the CD and has been performing live with Rowan and Rice playing double bass and singing harmony since the tour’s inception in September, 2004.

The Quartet’s newest member is Texas native and Santa Fe resident Sharon Gilchrist, who has replaced Billy Bright on mandolin.  An accomplished multi-instrumentalist, Gilchrist also plays bass in the all-girl Old Time stringband Uncle Earl, and writes, sings and plays mandolin in her own bluegrass trio Mary & Mars, as well.

The new Rowan & Rice Quartet lineup is magical as, in addition to her inspired contributions on mandolin, Gilchrist’s harmony vocals have added a new dimension to the songs on You Were There For Me, which are now performed in three-part harmony for the first time.

Rowan and Rice have spent their respective careers creating and transforming music with their renowned innovation and individuality. Both are also at ease in a broad variety of musical genres, as well as widely recognized for expanding musical boundaries in their respective solo and collaborative efforts.