Janie Gallegos
- Dec 13, 2021
- 4 min read

"Walking In Your Wonderful Light,” by Rhonda Towns

"I recorded 'Walking In Your Wonderful Light’ in 2012, a time when I had no idea that I would be headed for a divorce. The dissolution of marriage made it necessary for me to take a step away from music; I put my career and this song on 'hold’. 'Walking In Your Wonderful Light’ is my resurrection song, this is my story, this is my testimony.” #music #new #love #gospel #christmas

This is a message of inspiration and hope in a walk with God by our side. "Walking In Your Wonderful Light” is written by Teddy Hayes and produced by Billy Sherrill.”

"When I wrote this song 39 years ago, I never imagined that it could be performed with such depth and heartfelt emotion; Rhonda has surpassed all of my wildest expectations with her wonderful performance.” -Teddy Hayes, Songwriter.

Rhonda grew up on a beautiful farm in Arizona. As you all know, being a PK means full participation in the church choir therefore, by the age of 4, you could expect to see this powerhouse belting out harmonious tunes for the congregation every Sunday! Going through school, Rhonda won every single talent show and was often summoned by the bus driver to sing to the kids in every effort to calm their after school jitters.

After graduating high school, Towns continued to drop demos and make connections wherever she could. It was nothing for her to pick up the phone and call Mercury Records or Universal Studios. She was bound and determined to live out her dreams. Her talent only grew, leading Rhonda to the one and only stage of Star Search! Rhonda remembered her connection with Ed McMahon like it was yesterday. "Ed was on stage. I had won the first round and was bumped off in the second round; I was crushed! When you finish performing, you can sit and watch the other performances. Ed looked at me, pointed at me, and told me that I would be a star! You know when someone says something to you and it sticks? That was that moment. I never gave up and I will never forget that moment. For me, just because I lost the second round, he was telling me not to give up.”

Post Star Search, Rhonda continued traveling to Nashville making one connection after another. She was relentless as she force fed demos to anyone who would accept it. Back in the day, you could submit unsolicited music to agencies, so that's exactly what Rhonda did. She would shmooze over the receptionist, drop a demo, and land a contract…genius! She continued to explain her musical journey. "God has a way of bringing me down a path. People came into my life, created a journey, and it became a part of me”.

Rhonda is getting some major attention and now needed to put together a formal production, but to do so costs money. She rounded up 20 of her close friends and family, who all donated $400 each. The support of friends and family helped Rhonda to establish SFF Productions (Sissy Friend and Family). In 2006, Rhonda released her debut album entitled, "I Wanna Be Loved By You,” as well as establishing Dawn Records.

By this time, Rhonda was working with Jim Cotton on her next big release. After only 9 songs were complete, Jim Cotton sadly passed away. Rhonda completed her 10th song with Billy Wilson and Harold Shedd claiming; "I refused to give up. My mom would always say; 'If someone else can do it, you can too. Never give up! It comes out of your mind and spirit and then out of the natural, just never give up'”.

"There would be times when I didn't know what to do. When you do feel like you can’t stand, you stand there anyhow and you don't give up. I would always go back to the words my dad would say to me. He would always say; 'Use what you got.’ I think about when it was really hard for me to prove myself to Nashville, in front of all the major producers. They saw my heart and heard my voice. God says; 'If you give up, I stop giving.’ I refuse to give up.”

As you can see, Rhonda has never and will never give up on her musical dream. Upon release, "Walking In Your Wonderful Light," charted #53 on MusicRow Chart! Her voice is magical, her spirit is angelic, and her faith and strength are everlasting. She is a beautiful and talented artist who will continue to make beautiful tunes for us to enjoy. Make sure to follow Rhonda and stream all of her amazing music. Until Next Time…Stay Golden Team!

Rhonda’s Words of Wisdom:

"Keep family close. It helps if they know the music industry.”
"As an independent artist, there are now so many outlets to help. I'm just now learning about all of the new technology myself. Just keep pushing.”

Fun Facts with Rhonda: