Rhonda Vincent

[nickster60]

I saw the Rhonda Vincent over the weekend. A very good and band with great harmonies, very enjoyable. They where at our county fair.

[Patrick Market]

I am envious. I think I have every album, but have yet to see her in person. And I live in Missouri. I'm a bad guy. :redface:

[chipotle]

Rhonda and the Rage play every year at the cornbread festival in South Pittsburg, TN. Very informal outdoor venue, always a great show. Usually the highlight of my weekend!

[Mike Snyder]

I can think of nobody in bluegrass who expends more energy onstage than Rhonda. Also nobody nicer in person. She has gone through a bunch of pickers, so there may be a flip side. She certainly
makes an effort to give a performance equal to her hype. Nice bus, too.

[Ivan Kelsall]

A question from the 'un-informed'. Just how much Bluegrass does Rhonda Vincent play on stage ?.
The reason i ask is that almost EVERYTHING i hear of hers on I'net Bluegrass radio,has more in common with the 'non-Bluegrass' junk (my opinion) of AKUS than anything else. I have heard her play good Bluegrass & she can certainly pick with the best of 'em - but how often does she do it ?. BTW, i think that Hunter Berry is an awesome fiddle player,
Ivan

[LateBloomer]

I had the pleasure of meeting Rhonda and the Rage this fall at an IBMA "Bluegrass in the Classroom" workshop. She was a delight! They sang "Fisher's of Men" to demonstrate bluegrass harmonies, her voice was so pure.... amazing..... well there just aren't words to explain how I felt. Then it got even better! All the teachers broke into groups (bass, tenor, soprano and alto) and we all sang "Fisher's of Men". Even with seventy five people singing her voice was STILL the lead, cutting through all others - in a beautiful way. (No amplification was used in the workshop.) I'm still speechless as I think of that experience several months later.

[Rob Gerety]

...almost EVERYTHING i hear of hers on I'net Bluegrass radio,has more in common with the 'non-Bluegrass' junk (my opinion) of AKUS than anything else. ...
Ivan

Goodness, might be a little over the top here, eh? Junk?

[swampstomper]

A question from the 'un-informed'. Just how much Bluegrass does Rhonda Vincent play on stage ?.
The reason i ask is that almost EVERYTHING i hear of hers on I'net Bluegrass radio,has more in common with the 'non-Bluegrass' junk (my opinion) of AKUS than anything else. I have heard her play good Bluegrass & she can certainly pick with the best of 'em - but how often does she do it ?. BTW, i think that Hunter Berry is an awesome fiddle player,
Ivan

Rhonda is a well-established professional entertainer who has honed the sound she wants and which her audience -- as she identifies them -- enjoys. Whether it is bluegrass in some definition is not really the point. Wasn't it Big Bill Broonzy who said "All music is folk music -- I've never heard a horse play music"? Give her credit for her professionalism and if you disagree with her taste, listen to someone else. Also, recall that bluegrass began and to my mind is still a branch of real country music; Rhonda is certainly following that tradition. Martha White doesn't let just anyone put their name on the bus.

[goldtopper]

I haven't seen Rhonda in years, so pardon the question-
Does she play breaks on mando or stick to rhythm?

[AlanN]

I think it was Satchmo who said that, no matter, the point is well made.

You may want to hear more of the hard-core, trad picker's paradise bluegrass a la Monroe and F&S, but in terms of the paying public, you are in the minority. Whenever I have seen Rhonda at a festival, her tent line is *by far* the deepest. She is the darling of Nashville precisely because she doesn't do the fiddle and banjo stuff to a fault.

[MikeEdgerton]

I haven't seen Rhonda in years, so pardon the question-
Does she play breaks on mando or stick to rhythm?

She'll take a break on the mandolin or the fiddle now and then, plays a fiddle tune now and then but generally leaves the breaks to the rest of the band. They are pretty deep talent wise so it is what I would expect her to do.

[JEStanek]

I saw her a couple of years ago and she didn't play many breaks. IIRC, she has some hand issues that slow her down. The one or two solo's she played she played well, fast, and cleanly. I'll agree with others, she's and the Rage are a dynamo on stage. Not a ton of banter between songs. She's also very available to her fans after the show I saw. She waited to meet-n-greet everyone after a long set. I admire her work ethic and she has earned her sucess as a band leader.

Jamie

[jim_n_virginia]

I see her every year at the Amelia Festival here in Va and without a doubt she is one of the nicest most approachable BG stars out there. When I first met her I was amazed at how tiny she is. When on stage she has so much energy that she seems bigger than life.

I have noticed over the years she picks less because she leaves a lot of the fancy picking to her great band. But that just makes it even MORE enjoyable when she does take a break.

As much as I like Rhonda I think I like watching Hunter tear it up on the fiddle better! LOL! Man can that dude play Fire On The Mountain!

[Charles E.]

I saw her a couple of years ago and she didn't play many breaks. IIRC, she has some hand issues that slow her down. The one or two solo's she played she played well, fast, and cleanly. I'll agree with others, she's and the Rage are a dynamo on stage. Not a ton of banter between songs. She's also very available to her fans after the show I saw. She waited to meet-n-greet everyone after a long set. I admire her work ethic and she has earned her sucess as a band leader.

Jamie

It is good to hear she can play the mandolin more then just playing rhythm, I have seen her band twice and while they were great show's she did not play a single lick. It left me wondering if she could play a melody.

[re simmers]

Rhonda is one of the best "entertainers" in bluegrass music. And she looks good, too. I can't believe I'm the first to notice:)

Bob

[jim_n_virginia]

It is good to hear she can play the mandolin more then just playing rhythm, I have seen her band twice and while they were great show's she did not play a single lick. It left me wondering if she could play a melody.

She can pick the strings off a mandolin (and fiddle) but for a while there she wasn't hardly playing at all just singing, I think a lot of fans (or mostly the mandolin players) were getting disapointed and she started playing a little more but not much more. Seems like she leaves it to her band.

And Bob trust me you ain't the only one to notice Rhonda is a cutie, I just didn't wanna say much cuz a lot women are on here and I didn't wanna look like a Dawg! WOOF WOOF! :grin:

[Mike Bunting]

I saw Miss Vincent at a concert last year in London, Ont. and I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed her music. I'm very much in the trad camp in bluegrass and I didn't hear too much that I didn't like. Great harmonies and yes Hunter Berry is certainly a great singer. Maybe the Innertube radio stations just focus on the "California" stuff.

[Rob Gerety]

And she looks good, too. I can't believe I'm the first to notice:)

Bob

Don't worry, we noticed. :whistling: