Johnathan Rice is a singer/songwriter. His first album Trouble Is Real was released on April 26, 2005. Born in Alexandria, Virginia on 27 May 1983, he is a graduate of Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC. He also played Roy Orbison in the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line. He is currently signed to Warner Bros. Records.
Rice spent the early years of his life growing up in an affluent neighborhood of suburban Glasgow (Scotland) called Bishopbriggs. After graduating from high school in Washington, D.C. Rice moved to New York where he began work on his debut album.
Shortly after arriving in the city, the World Trade Center was destroyed and this, along with other themes of war can be heard in his lyrics in songs such as "City on Fire", "Put Me in Your Holy War" and "Stay at Home". The album was recorded several times before Rice was happy with it, finally settling with Bright Eyes producer Mike Mogis, creating a rich, diverse sound with most tracks leading into one another as a single "work" of music.
Rice has cited Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Beatles, and country legend Gram Parsons as influences on his work.
One of Rice's friends and prodigies is singer/songwriter Paul Watson of the band The Gui Lows. The pair grew up in towns only miles apart, and playing 'indie-folk'.
He is currently dating Jenny Lewis and was one of the main support acts during her solo 2006 Rabbit Fur Coat tour. He has also supported - and been lauded by - REM, during their 2005 tour, with his harmony and lap steel band Death Valley. Later that year he also appeared at the "V Festival", performing a solo acoustic set. His autumn tour of Europe that followed featured Death Valley as a coruscating rock band, putting a hard-edged take on the songs from his debut album.
On his Myspace page, Rice revealed that he began working on a new album in 2006 which will be called Further North. Rice is currently on tour with David Bazan of Pedro the Lion and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie.
