Vince Gill Information Continued
Vince Gill was born in Norman, Oklahoma and learned to play
several instruments, including banjo and guitar before he started
high school at Oklahoma City's Northwest Classen High School. After
he graduated, Vince Gill played in a number of bluegrass
bands. He 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. Vince Gill is the lead singer on the band's
biggest 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.
Vince Gill appeared on two subsequent albums along with his
then current wife, Janice Gill, before signing as a solo with RCA
Records in 1983. He first charted while on that label. In 1989,
Vince Gill switched to MCA Records where he recorded his
breakthrough hit "When I Call Your Name". His 1998 album, The
Key, received great critical acclaim, and is considered by some
to be among the best country music albums ever released. His other
albums include Next Big Thing (2003) and Let's Make Sure We
Kiss Goodbye (2000).
Dire Straits' leader Mark Knopfler was a fan of Vince Gill's, and had
asked him to join the band full time. Vince Gill turned down
the invitation but did sing backup on one song ("The Bug") from Dire
Straits' album On Every Street. Vince Gill has also
sung duets with numerous artists, including Dolly Parton ("I Will Always Love You"), Reba McEntire ("The Heart Won't Lie"), Amy Grant ("House of Love") and Barbra Streisand ("If You Ever Leave Me"). His other
credits as a backup vocalist have included "Girls With Guitars" by Wynonna Judd (written by Mary-Chapin Carpenter, who,
coincidentally, had a country hit with her cover of "The Bug") and
"Nothing Left Behind Us" by Richard Marx.
