Stephanie Urbina Jones

Stephanie Urbina Jones & The Honky Tonk Mariachi bring an exciting new meaning, sound, and lyrical twist to a classic country song with “Rhinestone Cowgirl.” Built on a near-symphonic arrangement of soaring violins, exultant trumpets, vihuela, and heavenly harp, “Rhinestone Cowgirl” emerges as a powerful musical account of overcoming the odds on the way to unfettered glory.

A triumphant update of Glen Campbell’s iconic “Rhinestone Cowboy” (with a blessing from songwriter Larry Weiss on the cover’s gender flip), this single is on her upcoming album, Manuel’s Destiny, to be released Sept. 22, 2023. The song is a duet with powerful vocalist, Wendy Moten. Among her many credits, Moten was runner-up on The Voice, and a member of the Grammy-winning group, The Time Jumpers. The inspired track and video encourages everyone to pursue their dreams.

Urbina Jones, a San Antonio native, has received international acclaim for her unique musical fusion she calls Honky Tonk Mariachi, that blends the sounds and culture of her Hispanic and American heritage with country and Americana music.

“Both Wendy and I have been relentless in becoming who we were destined to be,” says Urbina Jones. “The fact that a Latina and a Black woman are stepping into this moment and singing this classic song together is incredibly meaningful to me—we’re representing all dreamers of all ages, from all backgrounds, and hopefully encouraging them to bravely answer the calling of their own hearts.”

A highly respected songwriter, Urbina Jones decided to record and co-produce, along with Preston Sullivan, “Rhinestone Cowgirl.” She recorded the song in English with Moten and created a separate solo version in Spanish. “This is the epic dreamer’s tale of never giving up, of following your heart, of listening to the call,” she says. “It suited me so well. I came to Nashville 25 years ago, and my dream has never changed, not one day.”

The song’s writer, Larry Weiss, released the song on his album Black and Blue Suite in 1974. Glen Campbell recorded the song a year later, and it became a multi-week No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Hot 100 charts. Billboard ranked it the No. 2 song of the year.

“’Rhinestone Cowboy” is a song about pursuing one’s dream, knowing there will be challenges, but to not give up,” Weiss says. “Stephanie and Wendy’s recording of ‘Rhinestone Cowgirl’ opens the doors directly to women with the same message, and to their cultural communities all over the world.”

“Of course, Wendy and I couldn’t help but think about the dreams of women and girls when we were recording this song and creating this video, because we were once little girls with big dreams, and we are blessed to live those dreams today. This song is a reminder that we are powerful and that our dreams are important and can be a map to our destiny,” Urbina Jones notes.

The video captures the triumphant moment these two artists lived their ultimate Rhinestone Cowgirl dream on the stage that made country music famous – the Grand Ole Opry. “We wanted to capture the journey of following one’s heart,” she says.

The “Rhinestone Cowgirl” video was directed by Hannah McCarthy and produced by Cinettica Productions. Shot on lower Broadway in Nashville, the video features two little girls – Hispanic and African American, that represent the long-held dreams of Urbina Jones and Moten. The Rhinestone Rembrandt himself, the legendary Manuel Cuevas, dressed the artists in his iconic, gender-bending design. Featured in the video are photos of other legendary artists Manuel styled over the last 70 years, including Johnny Cash, John Lennon, John Travolta, Dolly Parton, and Loretta Lynn. The video culminates with Urbina Jones and Moten’s Grand Ole Opry debut of this song.

The song inspired the 1984 movie Rhinestone, which starred Sylvester Stallone and Parton, and Parton also recorded a version of the song. Having two women of color now record this country classic represents the growing diversity in Americana and country music.

“When my grandmother was on her deathbed 20 years ago, she looked me in the eye and said, ‘You are going to be a messenger of our culture,” explains Urbina Jones. “You are going to share ‘country music with chili peppers’ all over the world with song. Before that, I was only a songwriter. Then I became an artist.”

Jones’ dreams have taken her to stages around the world, such as the CMA Music Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, Magic Town Music Fest in Mexico, Gstaad Festival in Switzerland, Festival Country Rendezvous in France, and Country Gold in Japan, to name a few. She was the first artist to perform with mariachi on the Grand Ole Opry. She was also the first artist to sign with Gibson Guitar’s Latin division.

Her singing partner, Wendy Moten, is another dreamer whose voice and career path is like no other. The Memphis native signed a solo deal with EMI in the nineties. After that ended, she became one of the nation’s most sought-after background vocalists, touring the world with Julio Iglesias for 20 years, and performing for presidents and world leaders. Considered one of the best singers in Nashville, she has also performed with Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, and Bonnie Tyler.

At age 56, she decided it was time to take center stage again. She competed in NBC’s The Voice, and finished as runner-up, winning the heart of America in the process.

A few years ago, Jones interviewed Moten for her podcast, The Dreamers Road. “There was this magic between us,” Jones says. “I wanted her to join me because of her heart, because of her inner and outer radiant beauty and faith. She is quite literally a star from the inside out.”

Moten was thrilled to receive Jones’ invitation. “The fact that the songwriter gave Stephanie permission to change the gender was amazing. I am so happy to be a part of this venture. She already had an amazing foundation, and it was so easy to just add my part.

“The feel of the song remained classic and timeless, and having The Honky Tonk Mariachi added another beautiful layer to this already historic song. The mariachi is the secret weapon!” exclaimed Moten.

The two recorded their parts separately and met for the first time to debut the song at the Grand Ole Opry in October of 2022. “It was just magic,” Jones says. “It felt like destiny, that it was meant to be. That kind of thing is rare.”

Dan Rogers, Vice President/Executive Producer of the Grand Ole Opry, says, “Listening to Stephanie and Wendy collaborating on ‘Rhinestone Cowgirl’ on the Opry, I was amazed both by how things have changed since then and also by how much has stayed the same. One thing they’ve proven is unchanged—when the right singer finds the right song, everybody wins. I’ll bet Stephanie and Wendy are getting cards and letters from people they don’t even know…with offers coming over the phone.”