Comedy, bluegrass at casino

By GARY LINEHAN
The Union Democrat

Former “American Idol” co-host Brian Dunkleman and bluegrass star Rhonda Vincent will be among the performers at the Black Oak Casino in Tuolumne this weekend.
Dunkleman will headline tonight’s comedy showcase beginning at 8 p.m., with Rhonda Vincent and the Rage at 9 p.m. Friday.

Rounding out the weekend lineup will be the California Cowboys at 9 p.m. Saturday.
Future shows in the casino’s Willow Creek Lounge will include the Bellamy Brothers, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, Rodney Crowell, Chris Hillman, Commander Cody and Pete Best — one of the original Beatles — all free to guests 21 and over.

Dunkleman, reached by cell phone earlier this week on his way to a golf date in Half Moon Bay, said he does not regret leaving “American Idol” after its first season to pursue his acting career.

“Sometimes I regret doing it in the first place,” he said, adding that the only reason he should have stayed is “so I wouldn’t have to answer that question every day for the rest of my life.”

Reports of personality clashes with fellow host Ryan Seacrest may or may not be true.
“I think if I say ‘no comment’ that will get my point across,” Dunkleman said.

Ironically, Dunkleman has found new life with the Fox franchise as host of the syndicated series “American Idol Rewind,” which revisits the first season with present day interviews of the top 10 contestants, semi-finalists and rejected auditioners, along with footage never previously aired.

“I’m once again part of the ‘American Idol’ family, like the weird uncle nobody wants to talk about,” Dunkleman said.

He said his current schedule allows golfing three days a week. “I’m a big fan of the 6 1/2-hour work week,” he said.

At the other extreme, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage are on the road constantly.
 “We pretty much stay on tour,” Vincent said by cell phone somewhere outside Salt Lake City, where her tour bus broke down earlier this week.

“This year we started Jan. 1 on PBS’ live New Year’s Eve broadcast of ‘A Prairie Home Companion’ and have been traveling ever since,” she said. “Right now we’re traveling from Canada to California and then in September we’re off to Switzerland. We’re traveling continuously pretty much. We only take off during December.”

Vincent has spent her life on stage, joining her family band, the Sally Mountain Show, when she was barely 5 years old.

She started on drums since “it was the only instrument left,” then switched to mandolin at age 8 at a show in Marcelin, Mo.— Walt Disney’s home town.

“They decided anyone not playing an instrument was not going to get paid, so my dad said ‘Here’s the mandolin, you’re going to play that,’” Vincent recalled.

It has been her instrument of choice ever since, though she is proficient on several others as well. Live music was a daily occurrence at her home in Kirksville, Mo.

“We all played music until dinner, then after dinner until bedtime,” she said. “My granddad would say ‘Take it’ and I’d say ‘Take what?’ So I had to come with something. I’m just very fortunate that it has evolved into a career.”

In addition to being a multi- instrumentalist, Vincent is also a singer, songwriter and Grammy Award nominee for her latest album, “All American Bluegrass Girl.”

Vincent and her band performed at the Strawberry Fall Music Festival in September 2006, a year after having to cancel because of illness, which nearly proved fatal.

“I did not expect to be here now,” Vincent said. “I had E. coli and it took five hospitals to finally figure out what it was.”

She was misdiagnosed with the flu after collapsing at the airport in Denver. She was treated for dehydration and continued performing in Minnesota, Ohio and Tennessee, then was unable to get out of bed.

 “I finally said take me home and I was transferred by ambulance to the hospital,” she said. “It was an unbelievable experience, but it gave me a renewed appreciation of life and what I do.”

Vincent released her first single, “Mule Skinner Blues,” in 1970 at age 8, an arrangement she still performs. Her early bluegrass solo albums led to a Nashville deal, and she recorded two contemporary country albums before returning to bluegrass with her Rounder Records debut “Back Home Again” in 2000.

The bluegrass community welcomed her back with Female Vocalist of the Year honors at that year’s International Bluegrass Music Association awards — her first of an unprecedented seven consecutive wins in that category.

She received the Entertainer of the Year award from IBMA the following year, concurrent with the release of her second Rounder album “The Storm Still Rages.” The following year, 2003, produced “One Step Ahead,” which included “You Can’t Take It With You When You Go,” a top five video hit on CMT.

“Ragin’ Live”was released as a CD and DVD in 2005, and the album was nominated for a 2005 Best Bluegrass Album Grammy.
“I’m living my dream every day,” she said.