Rhonda Vincent

Rhonda Vincent is a bluegrass singer and an accomplished mandolin, guitar and fiddle player. She was born July 13, 1962, in Kirksville, Missouri, USA, where she still lives. Her musical career started in her family's band the Sally Mountain Show when she was barely five years old. She started learning mandolin at age eight, which was also when she released her first single. She achieved success in the bluegrass genre in the 1970's and 80's, 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 the 1990's she branched out into mainstream country music but did not enjoy the success anticipated there. With the release of her album "Back Home Again" in 2000, she returned to bluegrass with the goal of expanding both the musical reach and the accessibility of the genre. Since then she has seen her popularity and acceptance rise and has received acclaim from several music-industry groups. The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) accorded her its Female Vocalist of the Year award for the years 2000 - 2005, plus IBMA Entertainer of the Year in 2001. And the Society for Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) designated her its Entertainer of the Year for 2002 - 2005 inclusive.