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Linda Rice grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She became a Christian at the age of five
and got her first taste of public performance at ten when the regular pianist
failed to show up at Church and Linda's mother volunteered her talents. When she
played the piano that night she said something happened in her heart. She had a
desire to play music for the Lord.
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Since that time Linda Rice has made a joyful noise unto the Lord. She continued with piano lessons and learned to play the harp on a High School-owned instrument when she was fifteen. Linda studied the harp until she graduated and then gave up the harp because she couldn't afford one of her own. Linda married her college sweetheart, Willis Rice, and armed with a degree in Music Education spent the next twenty plus years traveling with Willis, teaching piano, and performing all over the world.
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| Linda returned to the harp after a 20 year hiatus and in 1992 felt God was
calling her into a full-time harp ministry. She only had to wait until Willis
retired from his flying career in the Air Force. When Willis retired, he had fully
intended to fly for a commercial airline, but Linda needed his help if she was
to fulfill her dream of a harp minstry across the country. He offered her one
year of his full-time help with the pretense that he would go back to flying if
they hadn't reached their goal within one year. He proudly stated, "I knew within
three months that this was it, Linda was in her element, and she was as happy
as I'd ever seen her." Their marriage partnership had now added a career partnership.
They still conduct every aspect of their ministry from their home in Northern
California. |
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| Linda Rice is the only female Gospel harpist in the world with a full-time
touring schedule. She plays on a French Camac Electric Harp. It was one of the
first electric harps to be played in the United States. The year was 1993. David played his harp to soothe the torments of King Saul. Linda's favorite verse in the Bible is Psalm 33:2 which says, "Praise the Lord with the Harp." "The harp does something to the people emotionally that no other instrument can do. The harp is God's instrument and is associated with worship and praise in both the Old and New Testaments." Linda and Willis form a musical duo as he tweaks the sound equipment while she chooses the notes. Linda quotes in one of her recordings, "There's no way I could do all this work, travel and keep the ministry going without you by my side. Thank you for being my devoted husband and companion for all these years and for helping me fulfill God's call to go and play the harp for His glory." "He is my roadie and everytime I play a concert he moves my harp and several hundred pounds of sound equipment for me. For the last fifteen years, Linda and Willis Rice have packed their clothes, harp, and sound equipment and hit the road, for two months at a time. Linda likes to jokingly tell her audiences their motto is, "You call, we haul." The California Gospel harpist and her husband certainly live up to this slogan. A large part of her success is the total devotion and commitment of the marriage of Linda and Willis Rice. They are the perfect compliment to each other; and their enthusiasm for their craft is contagious, making the listener want to hear more, even if they had no interest in harp music before. Her concerts go way beyond the expectations many people have of harp music. People of all ages, music lovers of all kinds, will enjoy the one-of-a-kind performance of Linda Rice. Linda's wide ranging Gospel repertoire also contributes to her mass appeal. Her performance is built upon two things- the story of her faith journey and Gospel music. "I'm playing to glorify God and to edify the body of Christ." Much of what she plays is given a rhythmic twist- like calypso, zydeco, or blues. She has had both rappers and grandmas tell her how much they love her Gospel music. Linda's combination of her life stories, humor, Gospel presentation, and her music generate laughter as well as tears. Linda's solo performances encompass a multitude of sounds which to anyones's ear resounds like the culmination of an orchestra at her fingertips. Linda has a few tricks to change the sound of the harp strings. She will weave a paper napkin, shoestring, or a ribbon in her strings. She is able to create a clock ticking on O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, (waiting for the Messiah) from a parachute cord left over from Willis' time in Viet Nam. A sample color strip of paint woven in the treble strings will create an African thumb piano sound on In The Sweet Bye And Bye. A twist tie on Little Drummer Boy rounds out her bag of low-tech tricks. When Linda plays Onward Christian Soldiers, one of her personal favorites, the sound of an army of marching boots keeps time on the speakers of the Bose Panaray sound system. You can actually hear the sound of handbells (she played the glockenspiel in the High School marching band) on My Jesus, I Love Thee, and that wonderful washboard-gut-bucket-squeeze-box sound (zydeco) which is associated with the music of South Louisiana on the song Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. The playful "baaah" of bleating sheep is heard on her medlley of songs that portray Christ as Shepherd, banjo- picking sounds on Give Me That Old Time Religion, and Willis will crank up the waves of a rocky beach on the song It Is Well With My Soul to name a few. When she isn't creating new rhythms for old time Gospel songs she likes to arrange the old hymns for harp. She actually blew the melody on the harp strings on the first track of Breath of Heaven. Breathe On Me, Breath Of God. Not all of Linda's music is radical. She plays some wonderful traditional hymns and Christmas Carols. She has recorded seven solo harp albums. Six of her albums have been recorded on the French Camac Electric Harp. All Linda's concerts are performed "live" without tracks. Her albums are also recorded "live" without multiple tracking. Linda has recorded over 100 Gospel songs, Hymns, and Spirituals on the harp. If Linda can continue to witness, play the harp, and help people come to Jesus Christ along the way, she will continue this ministry. In 1998, Linda was invited to play her harp in several Federal Prisons. The enthusiastic response now has Linda playing in Federal Prisons on a regular basis. There is no charge to attend one of Linda's concerts. Their faith ministry is supported by love offerings and sales of CDs and Cassettes in churches. You can reach them at 1-800-774-HARP to plan a concert or to order one of their seven inspiring CD's or Cassettes. |
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This biography was written in part by the following:
Ruthann Hogue, Staff writer, Daily News, Sun City Arizona Jeanine P. Smith, writer, Christian Family Magazine, Dallas, Texas Amy Maginnis, Religious Editor, Daily Repulic, Fairfield, California Kate Seago, The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas Pamela Ghilardi Ahart, The Navigator, Bodega Bay, California Kimberly Winston, Staff writer, The Pleasanton Herald, Pleasanton, CA Scott Schriewer, World Staff writer, Tulsa World, Tulsa, Oklahoma Karen Nolan, Feature writer, The Vacaville Reporter, Vacaville, CA I want to thank all the people that took the time to interview us and for their kind words concerning our ministry. To read Linda's Blue Interview click here. |
| TO ORDER CDs and Cassettes call 1-800-774-HARP. Linda Rice Productions P.O. Box 1306 Bodega Bay, CA 94923 Or E-mail Us At: info@gospelharp.com |