Christmas Time at Home
Rhonda Vincent’s Christmas album keeps on giving

By Paulette Isaacs

A couple of years ago, back in 2006, “queen of bluegrass,” Rhonda Vincent gave her listeners a gift for Christmas - her project Beautiful Star: A Christmas Collection. The diversity of the songs on the recording show that Rhonda can easily sing different styles of music – from traditional to even a bit of jazz.

Vincent’s own “Christmas Time At Home” tells of how coming home for Christmas brings back childhood memories of Christmases past and makes one appreciate the simple things in life and the reason for our celebration of Christmas.

“The Christmas Song,” a.k.a. “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” (writers: Mel Torme [The Velvet Fog] and Robert Wells) features the pianist Bob Patin accompanying Vincent on this well-known track.

John Mark’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” has a great swing feel to it with the musicians’ instrumentation. The song became a hit back in 1960 after Brenda Lee’s recording of it and since then has become a standard favorite.

“Beautiful Star of Bethlehem,” written by A.L. Phipps, has most likely been one of the most recorded Christmas songs in the bluegrass and acoustic realms, including “Christmas Time’s a Comin’” (writer: Tex Logan). The Phipps’ hailed from rural Kentucky and A.L. did several shows with the Carter Family.

Lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne’s “Let It Snow” was written in 1945. The song was first recorded by Vaughn  Monroe and reached #1 on the Billboard music chart the following year (reference: Wikipedia).

“Silent Night” had its lyrics originally written in 1816 in German by the Austrian priest Joseph Mohr and the melody by the Austrian headmaster Franz Gruber. “Away in the Manger” lyrics are attributed to Martin Luther.
“Oh Christmas Tree” (the German title is “O Tannenbaum”) is a traditional song, whose original writer is unknown. According to Wikipedia, the first known lyrics date back as far as the year 1550. Interestingly, the reference site also sites this information: “During the Third Reich ‘O Tannenbaum’ was promoted by the Nazis as part of their program to remove more Christian parts of the Holiday Season.” Disclaimer: Rhonda Vincent is not using this song for this purpose!

Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith’s 1934 composition “Winter Wonderland” had been slated in 2007 as one of the most played holiday songs from 2002-2007. One source gives this information, “In the period when this song was written, parsons (now known as Protestant ministers) often traveled among small rural towns to perform wedding ceremonies for denominational followers who did not have a local minister of their own faith. Because some listeners are not familiar with these cultural facts, some performers omit Parson Brown altogether and just sing the lines about the Circus Clown instead.”

“Jingle Bells” (writer: James Pierpoint)  includes Rhonda Vincent’s special guests: Chandler Vincent, Zachary Vincent, Victoria Vincent, Alex Turner, Justin Turner, Maggie Sutton, Chappel Morris, and Chance Morris. “The song was first recorded by the Edison Male Quartette in 1898 on an Edison cylinder” (Wikipedia).

The traditional “Twelve Days of Christmas” is arranged on this project by Rhonda and includes some comical relief by her band mates and friends.

Musicians on Beautiful Star include: Darrin Vincent, Bryan Sutton, Josh Williams, Ron Stewart, Mickey Harris, Kevin Grantt, Bob Patin, Luke Bulla, Adam Steffey, Randy Kohrs, David Grier, Carl Jackson, Frances Cunningham, Jeff & Sheri Easter, Scott Vestal, Stuart Duncan, Aubrey Haney, Jamie Dailey, Jeff Taylor, Hunter Bery, Tom Roady, Aaron McDaris, Sally Sandker, Amber Burks, Mark Casstevens, Sharon White Skaggs, Cheryl White, and Noam Pikelny.

More information about Rhonda Vincent may be obtained at www.rhondavincent.com.

Local musicians are invited to send in your materials for a review by Paulette Isaacs. They may be mailed to 286 Phillip Road, Elk Park, NC 28622. Sorry, materials cannot be returned. For more information, you may email dpisaacs@localnet.com.