Rhonda Towns PR Article - Cover Story

Written by:

Rick Rome

T

he Valley’s own country music artist, Rhonda Towns, is a success story and inspiration for people trying to take their talent to the worldwide stage. Her music may be “charting” around world, and her band may be in Nashville, and she may have a Blue Diamond Almond commercial airing nationally (all true!), but Rhonda’s heart is in Phoenix.

We know this because of her annual concerts to support foundations dear to her: the founding local chapter of MakeA-Wish Foundation of Arizona, Save the Family Foundation of Arizona, and Operation Homefront of Arizona. She also hosts a weekly local radio talk show called “Rhonda Towns Plenty of Love” on KPXQ 1360, Phoenix.

Rhonda is a trail-blazing pioneer who has achieved many groundbreaking country music accomplishments that cannot go unnoticed. Her determination, faith and drive has inspired and attracted many others of color to pursue music careers in the country music industry. Her journey has been challenging, but she still believes that hard work, honesty and values will always shine through and the rewards for that will be fulfilling.

Music has been a part of Rhonda’s life as far as she can remember. As a child, Rhonda, affectionately nicknamed Sissy, would entertain her classmates by singing at school and on the school bus. Classmates would always beg Rhonda to sing another song. Rhonda won her first talent shows at her elementary school for two consecutive years in the school’s talent competition and drew attention from a local country music television show that invited her to become a regular talent.

Rhonda’s musical influences are Patsy Cline, Reba McEntire and Loretta Lynn. “Reba has such strength and power in her voice. Patsy was soulful, bluesy, and had a unique country sound. She was way before her time. Loretta Lynn has an authentic sweet country voice I truly believe is an extension of her personality.” In addition to all these remarkable entertainers, Rhonda will tell you that her mother has made the biggest impression on her life and her career. “My mother is my earthly spiritual partner. She has guided me through almost every challenge in my life and in the pursuit of my dreams. Her mottos ‘There is no such thing as can’t’ and ‘If they can do it, you can do it, too!’ are great words to live by.”

To complement her simply natural talents as a country music singer, Rhonda’s motivation is moved by her genuine love of traditional country music and spiritual guidance…And for her there is a definite relationship between the two.

Rhonda immediately started establishing herself within the country music community in Nashville as a country music artist after appearing on Ed McMahon’s Star Search.

She soon after attracted the attention of producer Norro Wilson (Kenny Chesney/Reba McEntire/Sara Evans/Shania Twain) after sending in a demo of cover tunes to the A&R Department of Mercury Records. “Shannon Scott (at that time Shannon Finnigan) set up a meeting for me with Norro Wilson. My husband and I took my karaoke box with us to the meeting and Norro told me to go back home and send him a demo. My husband immediately said, ‘Wait a minute we flew all the way from Phoenix, Arizona, she’s going to sing for you right now!’ So he took the karaoke box out of the suitcase, set it up and I performed for Norro “A Picture of Me Without You”.

He decided that he would produce the first four songs on me including “Slow Rain”. I did not have to go back home and do that demo for him after all!” Rhonda soon after appeared on “Today’s Country” with Crook ‘n’ Chase, Good Morning Atlanta, Good Morning Arizona, Sonoran Living/Channel 15, Fox 10 News/Phoenix, Arizona, “First Annual Black Country Music Show” in Atlanta, Georgia, The Famous Bluebird Café, Douglas Corner, and Café Milano while appearing on shows for the Black Country Music Association in Nashville. Soon numerous featured mainstream media articles were written about Rhonda’s undeniable talent. In 2000 Rhonda made her debut appearance in Zurich as a headliner at the “16th Annual International Concert of Switzerland” followed by her national appearance and performance on the BET Network.

This officially made her the first female African American Country Music Artist to debut in Switzerland and the BET Network.

Rhonda attracted the attention of the late Jim Cotton (Billy Ray Cyrus, Alabama, Montgomery Gentry) and Harold Shedd (Alabama, Toby Keith, Billy Ray Cyrus, Shania Twain).

Jim Cotton and Harold Shedd produced five songs together for Rhonda before Cotton died. Rhonda was inspired by Martina McBride one day around Christmas time to finish the album when she heard Martina singing “O Holy Night”

love for music “ Rhonda’s goes back to when she was a little girl singing in the choir at the tender age of four years old.

Old southern hymns and upbeat country gospel songs were always heard from the choir stand on Sunday mornings.

a cappella on the radio. “I had nine songs by three amazing producers. I thought to myself. I learned to sing without music! That’s how I’m going to finish this album! So I called producer Billy Williams (Lyle Lovett) and asked him to help me lay one track for “The Lord’s Prayer” just me singing a cappella. The album was finished.” Rhonda decided to officially launch her own independent country music label called Dawn Records right from her house in Arizona.

In June of 2005, with not much knowledge of how to secure radio airplay, Rhonda herself decided to see if country music radio stations would play her song on the radio. She asked her friend and mentor, producer Harold Shedd to refer her to a radio promoter who would help market her music to country radio stations to get her song heard. Rhonda received very warm and welcoming response from her first release “I Wanna Be Loved By You”. The doubt and skepticism had finally been broken.

In April 2006 she followed up with a second release from her album song titled “Somethin’ Better” written by Bo Allen, which officially charted on the Music Row Panel. Rhonda Towns “Somethin’ Better” video also received strong video airplay in markets across the United States. Rhonda had truly initiated and helped to bridge the gap between age and color lines in country music for women of color in the 21st Century, much like another of her music influencers, Charley Pride.

All the hard work of launching Dawn Records and finally releasing two singles from her debut album Rhonda Towns “I Wanna Be Loved By You” proved to be challenging but delivered a ground breaking milestone for Rhonda in the genre of country music.

Since the early 1980’s there had been no other woman of color since Ruby Falls to get radio airplay on country music radio stations.

Rhonda’s got a lot more soulful country music to lay down, and plenty of trails left to blaze.