Vince Gill

Wikipedia:

Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a vocalist and musician have placed him in high demand as a guest vocalist, and a duet partner. Gill has recorded more than twenty studio albums, charted over forty singles on the U.S. Billboard charts as Hot Country Songs, and has sold more than 22 million albums. He has been honored by the Country Music Association with 18 CMA Awards, including two Entertainer of the Year awards and five Male Vocalist Awards. Gill has also earned 27 Grammy Awards, more than any other male Country music artist. In 2007, Gill was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Biography

Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill was born in Norman, Oklahoma. His father, J. Stanley Gill, was a lawyer and administrative law judge who played in a country music band part time and encouraged Gill to pursue a music career. 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. He first played with a teenage band called Bluegrass Revues in the late 1970s. The other members were: Billy Perry on the banjo, Bobby Clark on the triangle and Mike Perry on the bass.

While in high school, he performed with Mountain Smoke, a bluegrass band that once opened for Pure Prairie League and Kiss. After he graduated, he played in a number of bluegrass bands, including Ricky Skaggs' Boone Creek and Byron Berline and Sundance; 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".

Mark Knopfler once invited Gill to join Dire Straits, but Gill declined the offer (although he sang backup on Dire Straits' album On Every Street).

Gill provided background vocals for the song, "Tennessee Line", from Daughtry's second studio album, Leave This Town.

Gill was scheduled to appear at the 44th Annual Country Music Awards on Nov 10, 2010.

Gill was mentioned at length by Lewis Black in Black's "Stark Raving Black" stand-up act. Black goes on to joke about how awful it was to follow Gill at a USO benefit show because of how well Vince and wife, Amy Grant, performed.

Gill is currently collaborating with Joe Bonamassa on his forthcoming album Dust Bowl.

In July 2011, Gill appeared as a guest on NPR's news quiz show Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me.

On February 23, 2012 Vince announced after 23 years with MCA Nashville that he had parted ways with the label

On April 14 2012, it was confirmed that Gill had been working with Bonnie Tyler on her upcoming album, performing a duet with her entitled "What You Need From Me".

Personal life

Gill married country singer Janis Oliver of Sweethearts of the Rodeo fame, in 1980, and they had one daughter, Jennifer Jerene Gill, born May 5, 1982. Gill occasionally mixed sound for his wife's band at concerts. 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.

Though Gill never attended college, he's a big fan of the University of Oklahoma football team. He also attends nearly every men's basketball game at Belmont University in Nashville.

Selected awards

Academy of Country Music

Country Music Association

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Grammy Awards

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame