RHONDA VINCENT

One of bluegrass’ leading ladies takes care of business

Rhonda Vincent grew up in the family business. The Missouri native first began singing at age 5 as a member of her parents’ bluegrass group, the Sally Mountain Show. Three years later she took up the mandolin, and it’s been her instrument of choice ever since. “One of the great things about growing up in a bluegrass family is that it allows you to experience so many different things on a much smaller scale,” says Vincent. “You become really entrenched in the lessons of how to make a career and how to make a living. So I’m very grateful to my parents, because I got on-the-job training.”

Now that Vincent is one of the leading figures in modern bluegrass, she’s taking on a new challenge. She recently launched her own independent label, through which she released her new album, Taken. “I eliminated the middleman,” she explains. “It was a viable route to go, though it had its challenges. When it came time to write a check, it was the first time that I didn’t have an advance, so it was scary. But it’s also very exciting. During meetings, somebody would ask, ‘Who do you need to check with?’

And I would reply, ‘Let me check with the A&R department. OK, that’s me. I say let’s do this.’” Recorded with her longtime backing band, the Rage, Taken features guest appearances from Dolly Parton, Richard Marx, Little Roy Lewis and Vincent’s daughters Sally and Tensel Sandker (who have a group of their own, Next Best Thing). The album found Vincent going back to basics by playing more mandolin than she has in some time. “I made it a personal goal,” says Vincent, who has focused more on her vocals over the last several years—and been named the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year seven times. “I’ve played a few pieces here and there, but not every mandolin piece on an entire album.”

Two decades after the release of her debut album, A Dream Come True, Vincent continues to push herself artistically. “When I go into the studio, I always try to make something better and I always try to do something we haven’t done before,” she says. “It’s a challenge, but there’s always the same rule of thumb. It has to feel good in my heart before we send it off for folks to listen to.” Those folks sent Taken to No. 1 on Billboard’s bluegrass chart upon its release. “It told me this was really the right choice,” she says. “It’s like a stamp of approval, something that says, ‘Job well done.’”

–Lee Zimmerman