Rhonda Vincent Talks Growing Up In Country Music & Releasing A New Album

14242363_10153965823586483_8072288908314019447_oRhonda Vincent along with her band The Rage are the most decorated bluegrass band in history with over 100 combined awards. She is the best-selling artist in the bluegrass genre and a well-known crossover artist pairing with numerous of the music industry’s top recording artists in various genres.

Recently I had the opportunity to chat with her about growing up in a musical family and the release of her new live album/DVD combo “All The Rage- Volume 1”…Here’s what she had to say:

Country Music Pride: Music has run in your family for 5 generations, when you were little you were a part of your family’s band the Sally Mountain Show; what was your role in the band?

Rhonda Vincent: “I was 3 when I joined (at that time) I was just singing. At age 6, I became the drummer and I was always singing. Everybody got an opportunity to sing, everyone was featured. When I was 8 I started playing mandolin”.

“When I was 5, it was me, my mom and dad, my grandpa bill, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. The dynamics changed at 7/8 years old my grandfather got emphysema and passed so it ended up being my mom and dad and I. We then became the “Sally Mountain Trio” and at that point I became the lead vocalist, though we all took turns- dad would sing a song, I would sing the songs, mom would… The whole premise of what we did- no matter how many people were there was there wasn’t a focus on one person. With this new project that was the focus too- that everyone is featured”.

“When my brothers came along we were the “Sally Mountain Show” again. It evolved from this family group into the career I have now and I am so grateful”.

Country Music Pride: Who were your some of your biggest influences growing up?

Rhonda Vincent: “My father- he picked me up from school each day. We played ’til dinner and after dinner friends came over and we played ’til bedtime. Dad was the main one”.

“We also listened to the Osborne Brothers. We loved their trios and their arrangements worked well for mom and Dad and I so that became the greatest influence. Still is a big influence.  We also listened to pretty much anyone on the Grand Ole Opry”.

“Later on in life I met Dolly. She is a great role model not only for the music but business-wise.  Watching her as a person, her kindness, how she includes everyone.  She is a world icon that could be, do anything that she wanted but yet she is very down to earth and very kind”.

Country Music Pride: What is the meaning behind your band’s name- The Rage?

Rhonda Vincent: “When I put my first band together, it was just a group of friends playing in the living room and my husband came in and said I’ve got the name for your band. The members at that time were Rhonda, Allen, Joey and Earl, so it’s Rhonda and The Rage. It was R A J E so they would call it Ra-jay. Allen Joey and Earl are no longer in the group but the name stuck so we just made it R A G E”.

Country Music Pride: Who are some of your favorite artists to work with? Is there anybody you haven’t had a chance to work with yet that you’d love an opportunity to do so?

Rhonda Vincent: “I’ve recorded with Keith Urban, many with Dolly, Martina, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Richard Marx; very passing the genre boundaries of bluegrass or country.

One of the greatest surprises, Bernie Taupin. To say that I am friends with Bernie Taupin still boggles my mind. There are so many and I’m just so thankful. That is one of my favorite things about the music business is that we do our shows but it affords the opportunity to get to know people and do collaborations. My bucket list now- I’ve never met and I’d love to sing with James Taylor”.

Country Music Pride: You have quite the list of accolades… What’s the biggest honor for you personally that you’ve been awarded in your career?

Rhonda Vincent: “I don’t know that there’s any one single one. I look at that as a confirmation of what we do. We work really hard to share that passion, that love, that excitement in what we do. All of them are so very important. Most recently, I received my very first Dove Award on a collaboration with Lizzy Long. One of the coolest things was to be able to have 7 consecutive “Female Vocalist of the Year” awards; that’s really awesome for me. Also, the Grammy nominations”.

Country Music Pride: How do you feel about being called the “Queen of Bluegrass”?

Rhonda Vincent: “That’s just the funniest title of all. The year 2000 is when everything started clicking and that’s when the Wall Street Journal reviewed the album and said “Rhonda Vincent the new Queen of Bluegrass”. It’s a fun title and we have a great time with it; I don’t exactly go walking around with a tiara on my head” she humbly chuckled.

Country Music Pride: Why did you choose to release a live version for your new album?  What can we look forward to on the DVD?

Rhonda Vincent: “People came to the shows and would say “I want to see exactly what you did tonight” and we didn’t have that. I felt it was VERY important to have something that displays the incredible skill. This is a world class band and they are all at the top of their game so it was important to document that. We had filmed 29 songs but they said “that’s too many you’ve got to split this up”.

So Volume 1 is a focus of featuring the band showing their skill. It’s also a learning tool.  Every person is doing a song that really emulates everything all the best about their voice and about their instrument. Josh Williams is a 3 time “Guitar Player of the Year”; you have a chance not only to hear him sing but when he takes his guitar solos the camera zooms in and you can see how he is doing that. It really is mesmerizing to watch.

There might be a young man or young lady out there who says look at that I can do that because I saw how he does it.  Also on the DVD, when Brent Burke plays dobro he’s holding a bar in his hand and bending the strings all at the same time; what coordination, what skill it takes to do this and you really get it when you see this”.

Country Music Pride: Was there a reason behind the choice of Bethel University in McKenzie, Tennessee as your filming location?

Rhonda Vincent: “We were supposed to have filmed a few weeks before but I took ill. It was all set up so we had deposits but we tour so much there was only a very small window of when we could film, where from then after if we had to cancel, that we were going to lose all the money. They were so gracious to say “come here, we would love to have you”.  They opened their facility and opened their staff. They have the incredible Renaissance program and a bluegrass band there. It was just a natural fit and we are so thankful to them”.

Country Music Pride: What song is your favorite off this new album?

Rhonda Vincent: “Oh, I love all of them or we wouldn’t have recorded them. “Kentucky Borderline” is one of my favorites, it’s a song I wrote with bluegrass broadcaster Terry Herd and it was “Song of the Year”. “Is the Grass Any Bluer” was also “Song of the Year”.  It’s become probably our number one song. If we don’t play it in the show, by the time we get to our last song someone is going to yell it out; you can almost bet on it every time”.

Country Music Pride: What was one of the most embarrassing moments in your career?

Rhonda Vincent: I was on the Nashville Show probably in ’94-95. I was sitting on a stool in a dress, my first appearance there. They raised the curtain and when they did the curtain caught on the microphone and pulled the microphone up; it was about to hit me in the face so I grabbed the microphone to keep it from hitting me. The band was on the other side of the curtain and they couldn’t see what was happening so they kicked a song off and I’m suspended there holding this microphone and a guitar in a dress and I start laughing so the band stops and the hosts Charlie Chase and Lorianne Crook come over. They just started doing it live to tape, so I’m thinking can we start over; so I ask and he said “well sure”. I’m thinking no one will ever see this embarrassing moment but when it came on later that night they didn’t cut that part out. I was mortified”.

Rhonda Vincent is a living legend yet she’s as down to earth and humble as they come.  She credits her family band for leading her on the path to her successful career and recognizes the importance and incredible talent of her current band in her continued success today. If you haven’t had a chance to see them live yet, you won’t be disappointed.

They are currently on tour so check out her website at rhondavincent.com to see when they’ll be in your area and to find out more information about Rhonda and The Rage. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

All The Rage – Volume One Track Listing:rhondavincent

Muleskinner Blues

Is The Grass Any Bluer (On The Other Side)

Girl From West Virginia

Midnight Angel

Wow Baby

If We Would Just Pray

Freeborn Man

All About The Banjo

Missouri Moon

I’ve Forgotten You

You Don’t Love God (If You Don’t Love Your Neighbor)

Kentucky Borderline

The Old Rugged Cross

Run Mississippi

Also, don’t forget to grab a copy of the newly released CD/DVD combo “All The Rage- Volume 1″... You won’t be disappointed.

Written by Josie Bisto

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