ShareThisBy RONNA RUBIN
Friday, November 03, 2006
"There's an authenticity, I think, in bluegrass music that you may not find in other genres of music," says Rhonda Vincent, one of that format's most commercially successful and critically acclaimed artists.
Vincent is up for several awards _ including Entertainer of the Year _ at the Sept. 28 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards and she stops by GAC's "The Edge of Country," each day during the week of Sept. 25 (1 p.m., EDT/PDT) to chat about this year's field of nominees.
Vincent has built a career based on pure vocal and multi-instrumental (mandolin, fiddle, guitar) talents. At the age of 5, she was already taking the stage with her family's band, the Sally Mountain Show. And it was the years she spent touring with her family that provided her with an education in vocal harmonies, arrangements and stage presence. Over time she developed into a formidable lead singer, creating a couple of independent solo bluegrass albums that led to a recording contract with Rounder Records, a label she still calls home.
Although the Kirkville, Mo.-born singer's newest album, "All American Bluegrass Girl," contains several compositions she penned, she does not consider herself a songwriter. "I still don't feel like a true songwriter, " she says. "I would describe myself more of a person who is inspired on occasion to put my feelings on paper and a melody to those words." That said, one of her "inspirations" earned her a 2004 Song of the Year award from the IBMA.
An in-demand session vocalist, the 44-year-old has been featured on recordings with the likes of Dolly Parton ("It's always a sheer delight to be in the room with Dolly"), Alan Jackson, Martina McBride and Faith Hill.
This year's IBMA Female Vocalist nomination is Vincent's seventh consecutive nod. "I'm very nervous!" she admits. "Each year is a special honor even though it becomes more challenging." The field of female nominees remains close and if any competitiveness exists, love and respect outmatch it.
"The other nominees are some of my dearest friends and the most wonderful people," Vincent says. "I mean, I grew up with Alison (Krauss) and have been able to watch her blossom into this incredibly artist. Sonya Isaacs is a hoot and is an incredible singer, as are Dale Ann Bradley and Claire Lynch."
Vincent's band, the Rage, is made up of top session players, two of whom are also IBMA nominees. Josh Williams is nominated in the guitar category while Hunter Berry is nominated in the fiddle category.
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This week's GACtv.com Country Q & A comes from Shenia in Alamo, Tenn.:
Q: Carrie Underwood is always talking about the influence her mom had on her and how she took her to try out for "American Idol." I want to know if her dad is not supporting her in her career or whether he is just a private person? She never seems to mention him when talking about her career and she doesn't mention him in her bio.
A: Carrie Underwood tells us she's gotten a lot of questions like yours about her dad and it turns out he's just a private man. "My dad is really the strong, silent type and he doesn't like the spotlight," Carrie explains. "So a lot a people have been, like, 'You have a dad, right? And your parents are still together, right?' But he's always been the backbone of the family. And he's probably the one person that treats me exactly the way he did before. So I really respect him for that."
(Ronna Rubin, a 21-year veteran of the music industry, can be contacted at ronna(at)gacmusicbeat.com. Log on to GACtv.com for more information about your favorite artists.)
Touring schedule for Rhonda Vincent and the Rage:
Sept. 21, Lander Cultural Center, Greenwood, S.C.
Sept. 22, Leeds Center for the Arts, Winchester, Ky.
Sept. 23, Nothin' Fancy Bluegrass Fest, Buena Vista, Va.
Sept. 25, Texas Troubadour Theatre, Nashville, Tenn.
Sept. 26, Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville, Tenn.
Sept. 29, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, N.C.
Sept. 30, Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville, Tenn.
Oct. 3, Cross Country Trail Ride, Eminence, Mo.
Oct. 4-5, Silver Dollar City, Branson, Mo.
Oct. 7, Oklahoma Int'l Bluegrass Festival, Guthrie, Okla.
Oct. 12, Bluegrass Festival, Lincoln, Neb.
Oct. 13, Nemo County Fairground Pavilion, Kirksville, Mo.
Oct. 14, Bluegrass Festival, Waldron, Ark.
Oct. 15, Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium, Salem, Va.
Oct. 19, Kanawha Valley Jamboree, Marmet, W.V.
Oct. 20, Alexander Central School, Taylorsville, N.C.
Oct. 21, Bluegrass and Gospel Festival, Sasser, Ga.
Oct. 22, Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas
Nov. 3, Bundy Auditorium, Lancaster, S.C.
Nov. 4, Unicoi County High School, Erwin, Tenn.
Nov. 5, Ariel Theatre, Gallipolis, Ohio
Nov. 10, Sheldon Concert Hall, St. Louis
Nov. 11, Crown Plaza Hotel, Springfield, Ill.
Nov. 12, Remington's Niteclub, Springfield, Mo.
Nov. 17, The Birchmere, Alexandria, Va.
Nov. 18, Curtis Andrew Auction Facility, Denton, Md.
Nov. 19, Oakboro Music Hall, Oakboro, N.C.
Jan. 6-7, Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Ore.
Jan. 13, Scottish Rite Cathedral, West Reading, Pa.
Jan. 19, Imperial Theatre, Augusta, Ga.
Jan. 20, Orange Blossom Opry, Weirsdale, Fla.
Jan. 26, Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, Spartanburg, S.C.
Jan. 27, Crystal Coast Civic Center, Morehead City, N.C.
Feb. 2, Paramount Center for the Arts, Bristol, Tenn.
Feb. 3, Eichelberger Performing Arts Center, Hanover, Pa.
Feb. 4, SPBGMA Awards and Convention, Nashville, Tenn.
Feb. 10, Rodeheaver Boys Ranch, Palatka, Fla.
Feb. 17, Fairview Ruritan Club, Galax, Va.
Feb. 25, Everglades Festival, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
March 29, Orpheum Theatre, Galesburg, Ill.
March 30, Lund Auditorium, River Forest, Ill.
