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Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill (born April 12,
1957) is an American neotraditional country singer-songwriter and
multi-instrumentalist. He made his national debut in 1979 in the country
rock band Pure Prairie League before embarking on a solo career in 1983.
Between then and the present, Gill has recorded more than twenty studio
albums, in addition to charting more than forty singles on the U.S.
Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. He has sold more than 22 million
albums and has 18 CMA Awards, including two Entertainer of the Year
awards and five Male Vocalist Awards. Gill has also earned 18 Grammy
Awards, the most of any male Country music artist. In 2007, Gill was
inducted into the esteemed Country Music Hall of Fame.
****
Background information
Birth name Vincent Grant Gill
Born April 12, 1957 (1957-04-12) (age 50)
Origin Norman, Oklahoma, United States
Genre(s) Country
Occupation(s) singer-songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals, electric guitar, mandolin, Dobro, banjo
Years active 1979-present
Label(s) RCA
MCA
MCA Nashville
Associated
acts The Notorious Cherry Bombs
Pure Prairie League
Rodney Crowell
Alison Krauss
Sheryl Crow
Amy Grant
Reba McEntire
Website VinceGill.com
****
Biography
Early life
Gill was born in Norman, Oklahoma. His father, J. Stanley Gill, was a
lawyer and administrative law judge[1] who played in a country music
band part time and encouraged Gill to pursue a musical career. His
homemaker mother, Jerene, played the harmonica.[2] At the encouragement
of his father, Gill learned to play several instruments, including the
banjo and guitar, before he started high school at Oklahoma City's
Northwest Classen High School. While in high school, he performed with
"Mountain Smoke," a bluegrass band that once opened for Pure Prairie
League. After he graduated, he played in a number of bluegrass bands,
including Ricky Skagg's "Boone Creek"; later, he became a member of
Rodney Crowell's road band, The Cherry Bombs.
Career
Gill debuted on the national scene with the country rock band Pure
Prairie League in 1979, appearing on that band's album Can't Hold Back.
Gill is the lead singer on their hit song "Let Me Love You Tonight"
(1980), which he was still performing in concert years later - thus, he
said, confusing many fans who knew him only from his subsequent solo
work. Gill appeared on two subsequent albums along with then-wife Janis
Gill before signing as a solo with RCA Records in 1983. He first charted
while on that label. In 1989, he switched to MCA Records where he
recorded his breakthrough hit "When I Call Your Name."
Gill hosted the CMA Awards every year from 1992 - 2003. In 2004 he
received a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. In
1997, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler, a fan of Gill's music, had asked Gill
to join the band full time. Gill turned down the invitation, but did
sing backup on one song ("The Bug") from Dire Straits' album On Every
Street. Gill has also sung duets with numerous artists, including Dolly
Parton ("I Will Always Love You"), Reba McEntire ("Oklahoma Swing," "The
Heart Won't Lie," "It Just Has to Be That Way,""These Broken Hearts"),
Amy Grant ("House of Love"), and Barbra Streisand ("If You Ever Leave
Me"). More recently, Vince and Sheryl Crow sang harmony vocals on the
Brooks & Dunn 2006 hit "Building Bridges". In 2006, Gill released "These
Days," a 4-CD set of 43 new recordings featuring a range of musical
styles: traditional country, ballads, contemporary, and
acoustic/bluegrass. Guest performers included Sheryl Crow, Emmylou
Harris, Diana Krall, Trisha Yearwood, Michael McDonald, Bonnie Raitt,
Leann Rimes, Gretchen Wilson, Amy Grant, and Lee Ann Womack, among
others.
In 2007, Gill along with Mel Tillis and Ralph Emery were inducted into
the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Gill married country singer Janis Gill of Sweethearts of the Rodeo fame,
in 1980. The couple have one daughter, Jennifer Jerene Gill, born May 5,
1982. Vince and Janis separated in the mid-1990s and eventually divorced
in June 1998. Vince married Christian/pop singer Amy Grant in March
2000. They have one daughter, Corrina Grant Gill, born March 12, 2001.
Gill, along with his wife Amy, are fans of the Nashville Predators. They
have been season ticket holders since the opening season and are often
shown on the jumbo screen. In the 2007 playoffs, he and Amy sang the
national anthem for each game.
Discography
Main article: Vince Gill discography
Selective Awards
1984 - Top New Male Vocalist (Academy of Country Music)
1990 - Single of the Year (CMA)
1990 - Best Male Country Vocal Performance (Grammy)
1991 - Male Vocalist of the Year (CMA)
1991 - Song of the Year (CMA)
1991 - Vocal Event of the Year (CMA)
1991 - Best Country Vocal Collaboration (Grammy)
1992 - Song of the Year (Academy of Country Music)
1992 - Top Male Vocalist (Academy of Country Music)
1992 - Songwriters/Publishers of the Year (BMI)
1992 - Male Vocalist of the Year (CMA)
1992 - Song of the Year 1992 (CMA)
1992 - Best Country Song (Grammy)
1992 - Best Male Country Vocal Performance (Grammy)
1993 - Top Male Vocalist (Academy of Country Music)
1993 - Album of the Year (CMA)
1993 - Entertainer of the Year (CMA)
1993 - Male Vocalist of the Year (CMA)
1993 - Song of the Year (CMA)
1993 - Vocal Event of the Year (CMA)
1993 - Best Country Instrumental Performance (Grammy)
1994 - Entertainer of the Year (CMA)
1994 - Male Vocalist of the Year (CMA)
1994 - Best Male Country Vocal Performance (Grammy)
1995 - Songwriters/Publishers of the Year (BMI)
1995 - Male Vocalist of the Year (CMA)
1995 - Best Country Song (Grammy)
1995 - Best Male Country Vocal Performance (Grammy)
1996 - Vocal Event of the Year (CMA)
1996 - Best Country Collaboration With Vocals (Grammy)
1996 - Best Male Country Vocal Performance Grammy)
1997 - Best Male Country Vocal Performance (Grammy)
1998 - Best Country Instrumental Performance (Grammy)
1998 - Best Male Country Vocal Performance (Grammy)
1999 - Vocal Event of the Year (CMA)
1999 - Best Country Instrumental Performance (Grammy)
2003 - CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music - ranked #17
2007 - Best Male Country Vocal Performance (Grammy)
2007 - Vocal Event of the Year (Academy of Country Music)
****
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URL of Original Article:
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Date Article Copied:
February 2008
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