The Shadow
CLIFTON FORGE, Va. (VR) – On Saturday, May 17 at 7:00 pm bluegrass legend Rhonda Vincent will perform at The Historic Masonic Theatre with her band, The Rage. Rhonda Vincent is a firecracker of talent that powers one of the hottest bands in any genre of music today. From humble beginnings in the tiny town of Greentop, Missouri, Rhonda’s musical heritage traces back five generations of the Vincent family. She picked up the mandolin at eight, the fiddle at twelve, and learned a valuable life lesson as a teenager performing with her family at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. While they were playing in the pouring rain to empty seats with no one listening,— a week later they received a call from Hal Durham, general manager of the Grand Ole Opry at the time, and who just happened to be listening with his family around the corner. Mr. Durham loved what he heard and invited the Vincent family to appear on the Opry.
Rhonda’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 Records; and learning about the music business from Nashville’s best like James
Stroud, Jack McFadden, and Stan Barnett. It was her pivotal bluegrass album “Back Home Again” that transformed Rhonda Vincent into the All American Bluegrass Girl, and crowned the New Queen of Bluegrass by “The Wall Street Journal” in 2000. A multi-award winner confirmed with a 2017 Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album, an Entertainer of the Year 2001 award, Song of the Year 2004 award, and unprecedented seven consecutive Female Vocalist of the Year awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association 2000 – 2006, and an eighth win of IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year in 2015. Her lifelong dream came true when she was invited to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry on February 28, 2020. Rhonda waited an unprecedented 345 days and was officially inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on February 6, 2021.
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.
To purchase tickets (while they last) for Rhonda Vincent and The Rage, please visit www.historicmasonictheatre.com; drop by the Theater Box Office on 510 Main St. Clifton Forge or call the Theatre Box Office at 540 862 5655. To learn about Historic Masonic Theatre and Masonic Amphitheatre events, please visit the Theatre website and/or Facebook page.
