The music is everything to country superstar Vince Gill

Date: 12 Jul 2003 18:18:04 -0700
Newsgroups: rec.music.country.western
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Vince Gill with his wife, Amy Grant
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Vince Gill
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By Jerry Sharpe
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, July 11, 2003
Vince Gill, one of country music's most visible superstars, rose to
the top without setting a goal. And he still doesn't have one.
"Goals never had much allure for me," says the 46-year-old Oklahoman.
"I enjoy the journey. In other words, smell the flowers along the way
instead of worrying about any goal."
If you look at Gill's monumental success, you wonder what good a goal
would have been. While selling more than 22 million records, he has
won 15 Grammies and 18 Country Music Association awards including
Entertainer of the Year twice and Song of the Year four times. He
recently released a new album, "Next Big Thing."
And, too, he's a Grand Ole Opry star.
Had he ever dreamed he would rise so high years ago when he first came
to national attention as the lead singer for Pure Prairie League?
"Heck, no. But then I was in high school, I never dreamed I'd ever get
with a great group like Pure Prairie League."
That was in the mid-'70s. But years later, after a stint with Rodney
Crowell's Cherry Bombs and a three-album deal with MCA, Gill still had
not scored what the industry calls a "career breaker." That came in
1990, when "When I Call Your Name" was released. The CD by the same
name showcased Gill's talents, from mournful weepers to Western swing
to pop.
Gill's sometimes-vibrato tenor joins past country stars Hank Locklin
and Slim Whitman in departing from country's usual baritones. And,
too, he says that the music is everything at his concerts.
"I'm not onstage to see how much stuff I can blow up or to see how
much jumping and running I can do. I always liked the way Merle
Haggard did his concerts -- the singing was everything. That's the way
is with me -- the music is everything."
Gill's sincerity conveys a tenderness and warmth that not only reaches
out to audiences, but also reflects the personality of a guy who is
one of Nashville's best-loved people.
His compassion for other people is well known through his charities. A
golf enthusiast who once considered a career as a pro, he organized
the "Vinny" tournament which has raised more than $1 million for
charities. He also has championed Easter Seals, Make A Wish, Feed the
Children, Cerebral Palsy, the American Heart Association, cancer
research and other charities.
A compassionate, quiet guy, Gill was upset when he became the subject
of supermarket tabloids after he fell in love with gospel superstar
Amy Grant in 1993 when he invited her to join him in a Christmas
special. His ex-wife, Janis (half of the Sweethearts of the Rodeo)
divorced him in 1997. They had a daughter who is now 20. Grant was
divorced in 1999 from TV host Gary Chapman.
Gill and Grant were married in March 2000 and have a child together.
On the subjects of his romances and second marriage, Gill's reply is
"It's personal and private."
Although he's very versatile in music, Gill's favorite is traditional
country.
But he says, "It sure is hard to get traditional country played on
radio these days."