Vince Gill
Vincent Grant Gill was born April 12, 1957, in Norman, Oklahoma, the son of a federal judge and a homemaker. By the time he was in high school, he had become proficient on the banjo and guitar and was playing in his first bluegrass band.
After graduation, he turned professional, working with such acts as the Bluegrass Alliance, Boone Creek, Sundance and, most famously, Pure Prairie League. For a time, Gill also toured with Rodney Crowell’s high-octane backup band, the Cherry Bombs.
In 1983, he signed to RCA Records, where he scored his first solo country hits, among them Oklahoma Borderline and Cinderella.
Gill moved to MCA Records in 1989. The following year, he achieved his big breakthrough with When I Call Your Name, which won the Country Music Association’s Single of the Year award. Since then, he has won 17 more CMA honors, including Entertainer of the Year twice and Song of the Year four times. He hosted the nationally televised CMA Awards Show from 1992 - 2003.
Since 1990, Gill has walked away with 18 Grammy awards. In 1991, he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry and remains one of that revered radio show’s most active members. As a recording artist, Gill has racked up sales in excess of 22 million. His high, pure tenor voice and unerring sense of harmony have made him a favorite duet recording partner for dozens of fellow artists—from Ralph Stanley to Barbra Streisand.
Active in a wide array of charities, one of Gill’s causes is the annual The Vinny Pro-Celebrity Golf Tournament, which he established in 1993 to raise money for the Junior Golf Program.
Gill’s recent projects included reuniting with the legendary Notorious Cherry Bombs, the group of famed musicians Gill played with in the late 1970s. The group released a critically-acclaimed album in 2004.
Gill co-produced wife Amy Grant’s second hymns project, Rock Of Ages... Hymns & Faith, which was awarded a Grammy for Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album.
Gill’s current project is a 4 CD set of 43 new and original songs that MCA Records released Oct. 17, 2006 under the title These Days. The collection is an artistic tour de force that displays Gill's mastery of lyrics and musical styles, ranging from traditional country and bluegrass to jazz and rock. These Days features such musical guests as Sheryl Crow, Diana Krall, Bonnie Raitt, Gretchen Wilson, Del McCoury, Amy Grant, Phil Every, Lee Ann Womack, Trisha Yearwood, Emmylou Harris and John Anderson, among others.