and Bachelor of Music degrees from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.
From 1937 to 1969, he served as a professor at Columbia University, where he founded the graduate program in ethnomusicology, and co-founded the Society for Ethnomusicology, serving as that organization's first president.
He also conducted field recording in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and India.
A collection of Rhodes' recordings and other materials is held by the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive.
A selection of American Indian music, chosen by Rhodes, was released on the Voyager Golden Record (1977).