They don't come any nicer or more talented than Vince Gill originally from Oklahoma.
Let me share some words from my interview with Vince that was included in my book Distinguished Oklahomans.
Vince epitomizes what it means to be from the heartland of America. When he talks and sings you feel the spirit of a man who truly has love in his heart for others.
Vince was indoctrinated into the music styles of all his family members. Even though his father Stan was an attorney he was also a great lover of country music along with Vince's mother Jerene. On many occasions their home would be the meeting place for family and friends to congregate and hear the sounds of Merle Haggard, Jim Reeves or Bob Wills. His brother Bob, on the other hand, loved the sound of blues while his sister Gina was drawn more to folk music.
By the time Vince was in junior high school he had made up his mind he was going to become a professional musician. To get his feet wet he played in some garage bands. They had a few performances for school dances but nothing of any great magnitude. Then he aligned himself with a band of musicians called the Bluegrass Review. The band performed at various bluegrass festivals and for the first time Vince got paid for something he loved to do.
He progressed from there to joining the Mountain Smoke group and then as part of the Bluegrass Alliance in Kentucky. His next move was when he joined with Ricky Skaggs' band Boone Creek in Louisville, Kentucky. But his biggest break up to that point was in 1976 when he was hired by fiddler Byron Berline and moved to Los Angeles, California. That is when Vince first began writing songs.
A move to Nashville in 1984 coincided with his first country recording contract. He really started making a splash when he joined with MCA Nashville in 1989 and started putting out hits like When I Call Your Name, Liza Jane, Don't Let Our Love Start Slippin' Away, Never Knew Lonely and I Still Believe In You.
I asked Vince what his favorite recording is of songs he's written and he said it would be hard to beat "Go Rest High On That Mountain." He said it so reflects his own personal feelings about the loss of his brother, Bob.
With the passing of his father in 1997 his reflections went back to his childhood days when great country songs bellowed out through the walls of their home. Remembering his father's words "Your success is all for nothing if you don't stay the same" have become nuggets of wisdom that obviously took root inside Vince. His charm and ever endearing graciousness has remained his undeniable trademark. Vince is a wonderful person and indeed worthy of being titled a "Distinguished Oklahoman."
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