Grand Ole Opry Member and “Queen of Bluegrass” Music,
Rhonda Vincent comes to Southern Maryland

She’s an “All-American Bluegrass Girl”, multi-award winner, star of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, and a firecracker of talent that powers one of the hottest bands in any genre of music today. Rhonda Vincent and her band The Rage will kick off the new year as she headlines the 4th concert in the Southern Maryland Bluegrass at the Elks Series.

The anticipation of one of Bluegrass music’s most famous stars is almost here. The Southern Maryland Bluegrass Concert Series hosted by Jay Armsworthy continues to feature some of today’s national known singers and pickers in Bluegrass music from all genders of life and makes the Calvert Elks Lodge 2620, the home of Bluegrass in Southern Maryland. On Sunday January 5, 2025, Rhonda Vincent & the Rage will take the stage starting at 2 pm at the Calvert Elks Lodge, which is located at 1015 Dares Beach Road in Prince Frederick, MD.

From humble beginnings in the tiny town of Greentop, Missouri, Rhonda’s musical heritage traces back 5 generations of the Vincent family. Her dad would pick her up from school each day, and they would sing and play till dinner. After dinner, friends came over, and they would sing and play till bedtime. She began her professional music career singing in her family’s band, The Sally Mountain Show. It was an immediate “on the job training,” as they had a TV show, radio show, and made their first recording when Rhonda was 5 years old. 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, and what they thought, 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. 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.

Rhonda Vincent and The Rage are the most decorated band in Bluegrass. With over 100 awards to their credit, with a 2017 Grammy Award for “Best Bluegrass Album”, an “Entertainer of the Year” in 2001, “Song of the Year” in 2004, along with an unrivaled seven consecutive (plus an 8th) “Female Vocalist of the Year” awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).

Rhonda’s lifelong dream came true when she was invited to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry on February 28, 2020. She waited an unprecedented 345 days (due to Covid cancellations) and was officially inducted as 214th member of the Grand Ole Opry on February 6, 2021. Rhonda and her brother Darrin (of Dailey & Vincent) are the first brother & sister to hold separate Opry memberships, marking two historic moments for the Grand Ole Opry surrounding Rhonda’s membership. 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” in 2018.
To date Rhonda Vincent has recorded over 30 projects with her band The Rage as well as solo projects and recordings with her family band. She has collaborated and recorded with some of the most famous artists in all genres of music such as Billy Gilman, Gene Watson, Dolly Parton, Josh Turner, Alison Krauss, Alan Jackson, Tanya Tucker, Keith Urban, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Martina McBride, and Willie Nelson. She has made TV appearances on ABC’s Peter Jennings 4th of July Celebration with Hank Williams, Jr & Sheryl Crow, CMA Awards with Dolly Parton & Norah Jones, the Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Rhonda has also been highlighted singing the National Anthem at NASCAR at Watkins Glenn on NBC Television and for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rhonda is considered one of the hardest artists in the music industry with a continuous touring schedule of over 120 headlining performances throughout the year as they travel on their bus called the “Bluegrass Express”.
The Rhonda Vincent & the Rage show starts at 2:00 pm and the doors open promptly at Noon. Tickets are $40.00 per person and under 12 free with a paid adult. Hamburgers, Hot Dogs with all the trimmings will be available for sale from Noon until 2:00 pm by the Calvert Elks. Tickets will be sold at the door, and advanced tickets will be held at the door on the day of the show. To find out more information, go to www.somdbluegrass.com or call 301-737-3004.

The remainder of the series brings the return of fan favorites, Lonesome River Band on February 9th., a double header in March with the hard-core mournful sound of the Junior Sisk Band March 2nd and singer/songwriter Donna Ulisse making her 1st time appearance on March 23rd. Closing the Southern Maryland Concert Series will be 10-time award winning Bass Player of the Year in Bluegrass music, Missy Raines and her band Alleghany. Bluegrass Country Radio (www.bluegrasscountry.org) is a proud media sponsor of Southern Maryland Bluegrass at the Elks.