| "I
feel so fortunate. I
feel like I get to live my dream
each day," says bluegrass
vocalist Rhonda Vincent. Indeed,
if most musicians were living
Vincent's life they might
continuously pinch themselves to
make sure it was all real. In 2001 she
walked away with the
International Bluegrass Music
Association's "Female
Vocalist of the Year" and
"Entertainer of the
Year" awards; recorded with
Dolly Parton; opened shows for
George Jones and made appearances
on ABC, FOX and CBS. The
excitement has continued this
year with five nominations for
IBMA awards; a video for her
recording of "I'm Not Over
You" airing on country music
cable channel CMT; a spot on the
cover of music industry bible
"Billboard" magazine; a
new sponsorship deal with Martha
White and induction into the
George D. Hay Country Music Hall
of Fame. If all that doesn't have
you spinning, she also won the
National Cornbread Festival 2002
Celebrity Cook-off.
Vincent has been collecting
musical accolades ever since she
began singing with her Missouri
family's bluegrass band, the
Sally Mountain Show, at the age
of three. At age 6 she began
playing the drums and went on to
master mandolin, guitar, dobro,
bass and fiddle. All the
while,though, she was urged to
try country. "As (the Sally
Mountain Show) was playing these
festivals people would go, 'Your
voice is so country. You should
be playing country music."
Eventually she appeared on the
Nasvhille Network show "You
Could Be a Star" and was
offered a full-time job fiddling
and singing with the show's host,
Jim Ed Brown. While she was in
Nashville doing the show she was
replaced in the Sally Mountain
Show by a 12-year-old Alison
Krauss; when Vincent returned she
and Krauss would sometimes play
harmonies on the fiddle.
At one festival she was
introduced to superstar country
music producer James Stroud (Tim
McGraw, Toby Keith). She didn't
know who he was. "Someone
told me to give him a CD and I
thought, 'Give him a CD -- who is
this guy? These things cost me
six bucks apiece!'" Luckily
she parted with the six dollars
and Stroud asked to work with
her. When he became president of
Giant Records he signed her to a
contract.
After two albums of mainstream
country for Giant Vincent found
herself at a crossroads. "I
said, 'Where am I gonna go in my
life?' So I put together my first
band and did a few festivals and
the response was overwhelming.
Everybody said, 'This is what you
should be doing.'" She says
she doesn't regret her years in
country, however, "I learned
so much working with the top
managers, producers, studios and
agencies. I look at that as my
university years. I learned the
music business and its all
prepared me for where I am
now." The songbird has
returned to the bluegrass nest
with her last two Rounder Records
albums, "Back Home Again" and "The
Storm Still Rages."
She makes her second appearance
at the Dahlonega Bluegrass and
Folkways Festival this year,
starting with a special private
party for fans. "They wanted
to do this as something to kick
off the festival," she
explains. "This is going to
be close-up and personal. We'll
do personal photos, autographs,
get the chance to visit. That's
unusual. Normally you play a show
and meet at the merchandise
table, but this is a little
slower-paced and much more
intimate." The party takes
place Thursday, September 12th
from 7-9:30 p.m. at the R-Ranch
in the Mountains. Tickets are $30
per person and are available by
calling 1-877-628-8674.
Will she be serving her
prize-winning cornbread as hors
d'oeuvres? "That's a good
idea!"
Rhonda Vincent and the Rage
play the 2nd Annual Dahlonega
Bluegrass and Folkways Festival
Sunday, September 15.
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