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Rhonda Vincent

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Rhonda Vincent
Rhonda Vincent on stage
Rhonda Vincent on stage
Background information
Born (1962-07-13) July 13, 1962 (age 62)
OriginGreentop, Missouri, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
Instruments
Years active1970–present
Labels
Member ofRhonda Vincent & The Rage
Spouse
Herb Sandker
​
​
(m. 1983; div. 2024)​
WebsiteOfficial website

Rhonda Lea Vincent (born July 13, 1962) is an American bluegrass singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.[1]

Vincent's music career began when she was a child in her family's band The Sally Mountain Show, and it has spanned more than four decades. Vincent first achieved success in the bluegrass genre in the 1970s and 1980s, earning the respect of her mostly male peers for her mastery of the progressive chord structures and multi-range, fast-paced vocals intrinsic to bluegrass music. In media, Vincent has been dubbed the "Queen of Bluegrass" by several sources.[2] Vincent is an in-demand guest vocalist for other bluegrass and country music performers, appearing on recordings by Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson, Tanya Tucker, Joe Diffie, Faith Hill and other notables.[3]

Vincent is an eight-time Grammy nominee, winning the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2017.[4] In 2020, she was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.[5]

Early years

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Vincent was born in Kirksville, Missouri, on July 13, 1962, and raised in nearby Greentop, Missouri. She is the oldest of three children, and the only daughter of Johnny and Carolyn Vincent. Her brother Darrin is a member of the Award-winning bluegrass group Dailey & Vincent. Her youngest brother Brian played with the family group, but is now a top executive with the Bimeda Corporation. A fifth-generation musician, Rhonda's musical career started at age five when she sang gospel songs with her family's band, which was later known as the "Sally Mountain Show".[6] Her father bought her a snare drum for her sixth birthday. At age eight, Vincent started playing mandolin. She later added fiddle to her list of instruments at 12. In an interview with Ingrams magazine, she said, "Dad used to pick me up after school, and Grandpa would come over and we played until after dinner almost every night. There wasn’t a lot going on in Greentop, but it was always hopping at the Vincent house."[7] Vincent recorded her first single, a version of "Mule Skinner Blues", in 1970. The family, including the younger brothers when they were old enough to play instruments, traveled and performed extensively across the Midwest in the 1970s and early 1980s. Except for living in Texas for a short time in 1974, and two summers (1977, 1978) spent employed as musicians at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, the Vincent family used the Greentop area as home base.[8] The Vincent children all attended Schuyler County R-1 schools, and following high school Vincent later attended Northeast Missouri State University, majoring in accounting.[citation needed]

Solo career

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Vincent’s life of music evolved into a successful career in bluegrass music after being discovered by Grand Ole Opry Star Jim Ed Brown, and later spending what she calls her musical college years recording for Giant Record. She learned about the music business from Nashville’s best like James Stroud, Jack McFadden, and Stan Barnett. Even while Vincent was still performing regularly with the Sally Mountain Show, she released her first solo album New Dreams and Sunshine in 1988. In 1985, Vincent had competed in the TV series You Can Be a Star on the original version of The Nashville Network. After winning the competition, she was signed to a recording contract; her first professional performance was with country singer and Grand Ole Opry star Jim Ed Brown. In the 1990s Vincent branched out into mainstream country music, releasing a pair of albums on the Giant Records label, but did not have success there.

Rhonda Vincent on the Watson Stage, MerleFest, 2010

With the release of her album Back Home Again in 2000, Vincent returned to bluegrass with the goal of expanding both the musical reach and the accessibility of the genre. The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) accorded her its Female Vocalist of the Year award for the years 2000 – 2006, plus IBMA Entertainer of the Year in 2001. The Society for Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) designated her its Entertainer of the Year for 2002 – 2006 inclusive.[9] She also performs with her band, Rhonda Vincent & the Rage.

On February 19, 2010, Vincent parted from Rounder Records, after ten years with the label.[10] Vincent released "Taken", her debut album on her own label Upper Management Music on September 21, 2010. Featuring special guests like long-time friend Dolly Parton, Richard Marx and Little Roy Lewis, the album entered the Top Bluegrass Albums chart at No. 1.[11]

On June 7, 2011, Vincent and Gene Watson released a duet album on Upper Management entitled Your Money and My Good Looks. The album entered the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums chart at number 71.

Sunday Mornin' Singin', an album of old-time gospel standards, was released on July 10, 2012.

On April 1, 2017, Vincent's duet with a fellow country singer Richard Lynch was released as a track on Lynch's album "Mending Fences".[12]

During an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry on April 27, Vincent announced that she and Daryle Singletary had spent the previous months recording a duets album, with further details to follow during CMA week. She then introduced Singletary and the two performed a couple of George Jones and Tammy Wynette songs – "Golden Ring" and "One".

It was her pivotal bluegrass album, “Back Home Again” on Rounder Records, that transformed Vincent into the All American Bluegrass Girl. She was crowned the New Queen of Bluegrass by “The Wall Street Journal” in 2000. She is a multi-award winner, with a 2017 Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album, an Entertainer of the Year 2001, Song of the Year 2004, and unprecedented seven consecutive Female Vocalist of the Year awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association 2000 – 2006.

Her powerful vocal style transcends the boundaries of bluegrass music, as evidenced in her collaboration with Dolly Parton on the Elton John / Bernie Taupin Tribute Project “Restoration” 2018. She was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry on February 28, 2020.

Touring

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In 2008, Vincent's band performed at Centennial Hall in London, Ontario, at a concert organized by the Thames Valley Bluegrass Association.[13]

Gospel DVD

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In a 2011 interview with television station KTVO Vincent announced that she and her band had recently filmed a live all-gospel DVD at a church in her hometown of Greentop, Missouri.[14] The DVD was expected to be released sometime in 2012.

Family life

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Vincent married Herb Sandker on Christmas Eve 1983.[3] While it might have been more convenient to be based out of someplace like Nashville, Vincent chose to remain close to her Missouri roots: "My husband and I made the decision early on. I loved being in my home area. My parents are there, our relatives are there. We wanted to raise our children there. So I made the decision to commute."[7] For a period of time in the late 1990s and early 2000s, they owned, and Sandker managed, a popular restaurant in Kirksville, Missouri, called Bogies. [15]

Vincent's elder daughter Sally wed her mother's fiddle player, Hunter Berry, in Greentop, Missouri, in 2010. Younger daughter Tensel married her mother's dobro player, Brent Burke, in 2013. Sally and Tensel have since performed with their mother, and have begun their own group with their husbands named Next Best Thing.[16]

Since 1987, Rhonda and the entire Vincent family have hosted a large yearly bluegrass festival on land just west of Queen City, Missouri. The Sally Mountain Bluegrass Festival is traditionally held around July 4, and attracts music fans from across the U.S. and the world.

A highway sign in Queen City, Missouri directing attendees to the annual Sally Mountain Bluegrass Festival

Discography

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Main article: Rhonda Vincent discography

Solo studio albums

  • New Dreams and Sunshine (1988)
  • A Dream Come True (1990)
  • Timeless and True Love (1991)
  • Written in the Stars (1993)
  • Trouble Free (1996)
  • Back Home Again (2000)
  • The Storm Still Rages (2001)
  • One Step Ahead (2003)
  • All American Bluegrass Girl (2006)
  • Beautiful: A Christmas Collection (2006)
  • Good Thing Going (2008)
  • Destination Life (2009)
  • Taken (2010)
  • The House with the Red Light: A Discovery of Faith (2013)
  • Only Me (2014)
  • Christmas Time (2015)
  • Music Is What I See (2021)
  • Destinations and Fun Places (2024)

Collaborative studio albums

  • Bound for Gloryland (with The Sally Mountain Show) (1991)
  • Your Money and My Good Looks (with Gene Watson) (2011)
  • American Grandstand (with Daryle Singletary) (2017)

Live albums

Awards

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To date, Vincent and her band, The Rage, have won one Grammy, nineteen IBMA Awards (including the top Entertainer of the Year honor in 2001 and consecutive Female Vocalist of the year wins between 2000 and 2006) and eighty nine SPBGMA Awards.

Year Association Category Nominated Work Result
1974 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Single of the Year Muleskinner Blues Won
1999 International Bluegrass Music Association Recorded Event of the Year Clinch Mountain Country Won
2000 International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2001 International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2001 International Bluegrass Music Association Recorded Event of the Year Follow Me Back to the Fold: A Tribute to Women in Bluegrass Won
2001 International Bluegrass Music Association Entertainer of the Year Rhonda Vincent & The Rage Won
2002 International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2003 International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2004 International Bluegrass Music Association Song of the Year Kentucky Borderline Won
2004 International Bluegrass Music Association Recorded Event of the Year Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers Won
2004 International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2004 Grammy Awards Best Bluegrass Album One Step Ahead Nominated
2005 International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2006 Grammy Awards Best Bluegrass Album Ragin' Live Nominated
2006 International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2007 Grammy Awards Best Bluegrass Album All American Bluegrass Girl Nominated
Best Country Collaboration with Vocals Midnight Angel (with Bobby Osborne) Nominated
2010 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Entertainer of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2010 Grammy Awards Best Bluegrass Album Destination Life Nominated
2011 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Entertainer of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2012 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2012 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Vocal Group of the Year Rhonda Vincent & The Rage Nominated
2012 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Bluegrass Band of the Year Rhonda Vincent & The Rage Nominated
2012 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Song of the Year The Court of Love Nominated
2013 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Entertainer of the Year Rhonda Vincent Nominated
2013 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2013 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Bluegrass Hall of Greats Rhonda Vincent Won
2013 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Bluegrass Album of the Year Sunday Morning Signin' Nominated
2013 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Instrumental Group of the Year Rhonda Vincent & The Rage Nominated
2014 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Bluegrass Hall of Greats Rhonda Vincent Inducted
2014 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Instrumental Group of the Year Rhonda Vincent & The Rage Won
2014 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Entertainer of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2015 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2015 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Bluegrass Band of the Year Rhonda Vincent & The Rage Won
2015 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Entertainer of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2015 Grammy Awards Best Bluegrass Album Only Me Nominated
2015 International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2016 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Entertainer of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2016 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Female Vocalist of the Year Rhonda Vincent Won
2016 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Instrumental Group of the Year Rhonda Vincent & The Rage Won
2018 Grammy Awards Best Bluegrass Album All The Rage: Volume One Won
2022 Grammy Awards Music Is What I See Nominated

Other honors

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  • Missouri Walk of Fame 2012 inductee[17]
  • Bluegrass Star Award, Inaugural Recipient (October 16, 2010), presented by the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation of Dallas Texas. The award is bestowed upon bluegrass artists who do an exemplary job of advancing traditional bluegrass music and bringing it to new audiences while preserving its character and heritage.[18]
  • Champion, Celebrity Division, National Cornbread Festival cookoff. Rhonda and husband Herb are the previous owners and operators of a popular restaurant in Kirksville, Missouri.[citation needed]
  • Missouri Music Hall of Fame 2017 inductee
  • Member of the Grand Ole Opry

References

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  1. ^ "CMT.com : Rhonda Vincent : Artist Main". April 6, 2004. Archived from the original on April 6, 2004.
  2. ^ "Biography". Rhonda Vincent. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Rhonda Vincent fact sheet". Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  4. ^ "Awards Winners & Nominees Best Bluegrass Album". Grammy.com. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  5. ^ "WATCH: Rhonda Vincent Invited to Join the Grand Ole Opry". Theboot.com. February 29, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  6. ^ Craig Morrison, "Vincent, Rhonda" in Kristin N Burns, ed. Women and Music in America since 1900: an Encyclopedia. Westport, Ct .& London: Greenwood. 2002 ISBN 978-1573563093 vol.2 p. 661
  7. ^ a b Boone, Dennis (April 2012). "50 Missourians you should know". Ingrams magazine. Volume 38, No. 4. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  8. ^ Janie Shriver & Jennie Higgins, It's a Family Affair. Published in The Chariton Collector magazine, Spring 1982. Pg. 30–31
  9. ^ "Rhonda Vincent". Archived from the original on August 18, 2003. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "CMT : News : Rhonda Vincent leaves Rounder Records". CMT News. Archived from the original on February 22, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
  11. ^ "Rhonda Vincent biography". Vincent official website. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  12. ^ Papadatos, Marcos (April 2017). "Review: Richard Lynch back with new country single 'Cut And Paste'". Digital Journal. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  13. ^ Strings, newsletter of the Pineridge Bluegrass Folklore Society, June 2008
  14. ^ "Bluegrass Queen performs for the Heartland". KTVO-TV website. November 1, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  15. ^ Righi, Len (June 9, 2000). "Home on the Web: Rhonda Vincent Turns to the Internet to Bond With Traditional Bluegrass Fans". MCall.com. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  16. ^ Lawless, John (August 4, 2008). "The Next Best Thing". Bluegrasstoday.com. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  17. ^ "Inductee list". Cherry Blossom Festival. 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  18. ^ "Bluegrass Heritage Foundation official website". Bluegrassheritage.org. 2010. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
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