Bob Minner, Rhonda Vincent, and John Meador at The Station Inn
For his latest single, Bob Minner has taken a classic Osborne Brothers tune and given it a new side as a lonesome ballad.
Releasing a version of Listening to the Rain has been a long-awaited dream of Bob’s that he’s finally been able to see through with this latest project.
“My dad was an Osborne Brothers fan, and I remember their records being in the house when I was around six or seven,” Bob tells us. “And for a number of years, I had always heard this song in my head as a slowed-down ballad due to the nature of the lyric, but I never had a project that treatment would fit within. Until now.”
“When I signed with Billy Blue as an artist, I knew I had to have this song on the record, and I wanted to expand it into the realm of a duet,” he continues. “And coming off the success of my co-write with John Meador on Fall In Tennessee, I knew I wanted John’s incredible voice on the cut. I asked John who he’d like to sing it with, and without hesitation he said, ‘Rhonda (Vincent),’ and I couldn’t have agreed more. So, I approached Rhonda with the idea, and she was gracious enough to agree to be a part of it.”
“We met at Rhonda’s house to go through keys and arrangement, and as soon as they started singing together, the hair stood up on my arms and I knew this was going to be something special.”
John and Rhonda’s voices color the song with even deeper shades of lonely, and draw out the heartbreak that always lived in these lyrics. John’s smooth tone and the softer side of Rhonda’s powerful voice blend and twine together beautifully, perfectly spiraling into the duet harmonies that transport the listeners into the story, and even into the melody itself.
Another special guest that Minner featured on this recording is Ronnie Reno, who played on the first cut of Listening to the Rain when the Osbornes took it into the studio.
“I played on the original recording of Listening To The Rain with Bobby and Sonny in 1970,” Ronnie says. “I love the new approach to this song, and it’s wonderfully done. The vocals are outstanding. Bob’s production is outstanding. It’s in the pocket, and it’s in time with your heart. I know Bobby and Sonny would be very proud of this recording.”
Listening to the Rain is available from all major streaming platforms.
