A lot of people are laying low during the pandemic, but Grammy-winning “Queen of Bluegrass” Rhonda Vincent has found a way to perform live every day and celebrate Christmas at the same time, with more than a month of shows in the Ozark Valley entertainment destination of Branson, Missouri. Every night through December 20th, Vincent and guests like Moe Bandy, T. Graham Brown, young traditional country singer Mo Pitney, and Jeannie Seely, who co-wrote Vincent’s 2019 hit “Like I Could,” have been taking the stage in a production that Vincent engineered with the ultimate DIY move, renting the Andy Williams Theatre to present nearly six weeks of shows.
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“We’ve never hosted a Christmas show before or been in residency at one place to perform,” Vincent told American Songwriter via email, opting to write instead of talk in order to save her voice for singing. “After being off the road for six months, and our dates being moved to 2021 and 2022, I noticed that Branson was packed with people in July. So I said, This is the place we need to be to do shows. People are out and about here in Branson, socially distancing, but still having a great time. I found a theater to lease and started planning the show. Everyone was excited to play and for a new experience.”
“Once the contracts were signed, I started making calls to some of our favorite artists,” she continued. “Then it became a matter of finding the right schedule for all the artists who were on board. The variety of artists gives something different for everyone. The Andy Williams Theater holds over 2,000 people, plenty of room for spacing everyone out so you can be assured of a safe distance from other guests.”
“It’s a different show every night,” she said. “We always start with a different song from the night before and choose a new set of songs each night, rotating and adding new songs as we go. There are varied styles of music from bluegrass, country, and Gospel, with a lot of Christmas mixed in. World-class musicians are featured throughout, [comedian] Jarrett Dougherty adds his crazy antics and humor, and there’s a celebrity ‘12 Days of Christmas’ that changes up with each new guest, along with an appearance from Santa. The one constant is a living portrayal of The Nativity.”
“This is a highly detailed show, so many musicians, artists, and crew with different songs and wardrobe every day,” she said. “Every day so far has been spent preparing for the next show and how to make next one even better. We have such an amazing crew, and I am so thankful how everyone has come together to make it the best it can be.”
Vincent’s latest single is a humorous nod to the Covid lifestyle, a parody of the Hank Snow classic originally written by Australian country singer Geoff Mack, “I’ve Been Everywhere,” called “I Ain’t Been Nowhere.” “I Ain’t Been Nowhere” features lyrics written by Chuck Mead of retro country band BR549. It’s currently available only through the Nashville digital distribution service Crowd Music. “I have a personal connection with [David Browning] of Crowd Music. He is from my home area, and we both went to Truman State University [in Missouri]. I wanted to try out his new service and it was a great way to get a single released.”
It was announced last spring that Vincent would be a new member of the Grand Ole Opry, and she also sings with Justin Peters on the song “Santaland” on the soundtrack of the film The Farmer and The Belle: Saving Santaland. She also has a new album in the works, but for the moment she’s pretty busy seven nights a week.
“Right now it’s all about the Christmas show,” she said. “I continued on the mix for my next CD project during our Thanksgiving break. It’s very close to being completed, and hopefully in time for my Opry induction [the induction date hadn’t been announced at press time]. There’s a song on the new album I have planned to debut then. The lyric says ‘God is great and God is good to me,’ and I think that is so appropriate for being inducted into the Opry. It’s a lifelong dream and I am so thankful.”
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