“My older brother is the reason why I play bass. He brought a bass home one day and told me not to touch it.”
A genre traversing composer, recording artist, educator, singer, and virtuoso who masters extended range and fretless – Rhonda Smith is among the top session players and side-women on the planet. Her credits span Prince, Jeff Beck, Chaka Khan, Beyonce, Lee Ritenour, Patrice Rushen, Patti Labelle, Erykah Badu, and George Clinton in addition to numerous television and film soundtracks cite a very, very few.
A Jazz Performance graduate from Montreal’s McGill University, Rhonda nailed a Juno Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for her work with Jim Hillman and The Merlin Factor.
Rhonda’s weapons of choice include Fender Jazz, PRS basses, Mesa Boogie, Aguilar amps and cabinets, and D’Addario strings.
Rhonda Smith Sound & Vision….
Live with Prince “The Everlasting” https://youtu.be/o07Q25LXg4Q
Live with Jeff Beck “Solo + People Get Ready” https://youtu.be/A5tvrqJlcg0
Watch Rhonda slappin’ and poppin’ on her PRS with D’Adarrio strings: https://youtu.be/O6nGOhtZsUc
Rhonda from her slab RS2 “Grind” https://youtu.be/jVLzaYnS1rs
By Thomas Semioli