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DTPR MAGAZINE #15-5: September - October 2025
Shannon Finnegan set up a meeting for me with Norro Wilson…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…he decided
that he would produce the first four songs on me including ‘Slow Rain.’”
From there, Rhonda earned standing ovations at Nashville’s Douglas Corner, Caffe Milano, and
Bluebird Cafe, launched her own independent label, Dawn Records, and then began touring
internationally. Her performances in Zurich, Switzerland, and on BET’s Live From L.A. introduced
new audiences to her authentic sound, while events like the First Annual Black Country Music
Show in Atlanta positioned her as both an artist and a trailblazer.
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.
A Voice All Her Own
When Rhonda released her debut album, I Wanna Be Loved By You (2006), she wasn’t just
adding another record to the crowded Nashville market. She was making a statement—that
her voice belonged not on the margins but at the center of country music. Produced by legends
Harold Shedd, Norro Wilson, and Jim Cotton, the album delivered radio-ready singles like
“Somethin’ Better” and the title track.
Rhonda attracted the attention of the late Jim Cotton…Jim Cotton and Harold Shedd produced
five songs together for Rhonda before Cotton died. Inspired by Martina McBride, she finished
the album a cappella with ‘The Lord’s Prayer.’ Rhonda officially launched Dawn Records from
her house in Arizona.”
Listeners and critics alike were drawn not only to the power of her voice but also to its purity.
Rhonda sang country music not as an outsider but as someone whose life, faith, and roots
made the stories ring true. She wasn’t trying to sound country—she was country.
Trials, Transformation, and Triumph
After releasing her first album, Rhonda faced personal challenges, including a painful divorce,
that led her to step away from recording for a time. Yet true to her spirit, she never abandoned
music.