Rhonda remembers the ’80s

We found this classic photo on Rhonda Vincent’s message board, a shot of her with Suzanne Cox and Alison Krauss which, judging from the hair, was taken in the late 1980s.

Can you believe that look went out of fashion?

Rhonda recalls the time when this was taken…

“In 1985 after doing the show, You Can Be A Star, I was hired by Jim Ed Brown, and sang backup and played fiddle and mandolin in his band. My family, The Sally Mountain Show, continued touring, and I would fly into as many shows as I could make, when Jim Ed wasn’t performing.

Around that time, my father heard of a young lady from Champaign, IL. She took my place in the family band. Wore my clothes, and wasn’t even singing at that time. She was an amazing young fiddler.

October 1985, I returned to Missouri and resumed performing with my family. This young lady continue to tour with us for a while, and we played twin fiddles, and she even started singing soon after. I am so proud to have watched the incredible journey of one of country music’s most beautiful singers.

That young lady was Alison Krauss!

Years later, Alison formed her own band. At every festival Alison, and The Cox Family, and my family performed at, we would always put together a trio for the evening show.”

Vincent and Brown shared the stage together last year, and sang a song that Jim Ed had recorded with Helen Cornelius back in 1977.

 

Sonya Rutledge, Andrea (mullins) Roberts, Ginny Brawner and Alison Krauss, circa 1987And while we’re remembering the ’80s, have a look at this photo which Andrea Roberts shared. Andrea (then Mullins) is on guitar, Ginny Brawner on bass, Sonya Rutledge on mandolin, and Alison Krauss on fiddle.

It was taken before the girls were to play a song on the Grand Ole Opry at the very beginning stages of Petticoat Junction in 1987. Alison never actually joined the band, but helped them out for the Opry set.

They all look so much better these days, don’t you think?

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2004 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.