In this series, Joselyn explores what it takes to make the leap from campground picker to professional performer. In this third installment, we hear from Rhonda Vincent, whose many musical achievements as a multi-instrumentalist and bandleader include being a Grand Ole Opry member, Grammy winner, and eight-time IBMA female vocalist of the year.
Joselyn Sky: What do you remember about your first tour?
Rhonda Vincent: I started out with my family [as The Sally Mountain Show]. It was my mom and dad, grandpa, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and we piled in a station wagon … There are so many different aspects of touring: if you have your own van, if you’re traveling with somebody else, there’s a lot of considerations. Unfortunately, when you’re with your family, they’re usually not as considerate. If my brothers want to throw their socks in my face, they’re probably gonna do that.
What have you learned about touring over the years?
When I started out with my own band, I’d never led a band before. So it’s trial and error. To me, the number one thing if you want to be a touring artist: get some education in budgeting and accounting. You’re going to make money, but it’s not about how much you make, it’s how much you spend. I think you have to really be wise to that.
With my family, every trip had to pay for itself. So, [my mother] would just tear off a sheet of paper, write down what we made, and write all the expenses. Because she got groceries, and our fuel was this, at the end of the weekend, this is how much we made. She would take all the receipts and a sheet of paper, and paper clip it together. She had an angel food cake pan that’s still in her cupboard, and she would put those papers in there. Then all year long, every weekend was there. At the end of the year, she would just get those out and know what we made.
What is your pre-show routine?
Well, I’m usually getting my hair and makeup done. A lot of people think that you should do vocal warm-ups and that sort of thing. Or I see some bands that rehearse their whole show right before they go on stage. That wears my voice out. We play so much, if you haven’t been playing, you probably should go sing some songs and warm your voice up. So I need to make sure I’m hydrated, I’ve eaten something, and I have energy. Don’t wear yourself out so you don’t have the energy for the show and for meeting people after.
Do you ever have nerves, and how do you deal with them?
Well yeah, I had nerves last night. We were at the Ryman; they’re doing a special filming for the 100th year of the Opry. We were doing a song that I hadn’t done that much, and I couldn’t get the words in my mind. We rehearsed the song, and I think that made me a little more at ease … I’d started stressing myself out about several different things at the same time. But basically, I think breathing or getting that extra energy out, breathing and just calming yourself down.
Knowing the song would have helped me, I think in retrospect—know your material! I know my solo, I know my lyrics, so I’ve got this because I know I’ve rehearsed it enough.
When I first started, I did a couple of country albums. One of the first times we got together for a rehearsal, we get there—and these are people I don’t know, so, how are these musicians? We got there. I said, “Okay, let’s practice.” and right away the man turned to me and he goes, “You practice at home. We’re here to rehearse.” It’s like, “okay! I like that!” Individually, you really have to get your song together, so when you do get together as a group, you can come together cohesively and know what you’re going to do.
In hindsight, is there anything you wish you had known or done differently in your career?
A fatal error that I made: I was signed with this country music label, and I had this great opportunity. And James, [the producer], sends me a cassette tape of three songs. He said, “These are the songs you’re gonna do, and you pick the others.” Well, here’s reality; he had the publishing rights on those three songs. That’s why they’re already predetermined to be singles, and he didn’t care what the rest of the album had on it. I listened to them—it was singing about sexual innuendos and things I would never sing about. I thought, “Oh, this is unbelievable. I’m not singing this,” and I called him and told him so. We did the album and we didn’t do those songs, but they certainly didn’t promote my album either. In the end, when that album was done, it cost $175,000. That was the first one. The second album—Dolly and Randy Travis were on it—was $225,000. And they say they’ll pay for things, but then it’s all charged back to you.
I ended up having my own label, and there’s a freedom in that. You get to record what you want to record, when you want to record it, with whom you want to record, and release it when you want.
They also can launch you; there’s some good things, that’s just another side of it.
How do you navigate staying true to bluegrass roots while still evolving with the times as a musician and creating your own unique sound?
I don’t think I’ve ever really followed the trends; some people do that. I’ve always been a little different. If somebody else is doing this, I’m probably not gonna do that. Everybody’s doing that, so I want to do something else. I guess it’s just trying to do music that people appreciate, or that they want to hear.
I just play the music that I love. I grew up in this musical family; it was kind of a melting pot of different styles. My Aunt Catherine sang like Kitty Wells, and Dad might sing a Porter Wagoner song, and Grandpa sang Bill Monroe. I think that’s something that I do, kind of a mix. A little bit of country in with the bluegrass.
Do you improvise a lot while you’re performing, or do you mostly plan ahead?
We’re probably totally improvising, because I don’t use a set list. But Mickey’s been in the band for 22 years, and Aaron’s been in the band for 17 years. So they know the way I work. Jacob just joined us a year ago, so he’s over here trying to figure out what we’re gonna do next.
I have a theory of how I do it. If we’re in B, it’s gonna be B and E. We’re gonna bounce back and forth. If it’s in B flat, B flat and F. Hopefully the idea is that they don’t have to change capos. So, it varies. But you can’t do that if you have new musicians—then I try to do a set list. It’s very difficult for me to do that. I like to feel out the audience and see. Are they responding more to the banjo tonight? Then we’re going to feature Aaron a little more.
What’s the first thing that comes to mind as a piece of advice for someone looking to make a career as a performing musician?
Number one: perfect your craft, be very good at whatever it is. Get great songs, and make a great recording. Have something unique, because you want them to come and see you, because they can’t see this anywhere else. Just watch your economics and make something really unique and amazing.
