Gill, Vince

VINCE GILL

Born: Norman, Oklahoma, 12 April 1957

Genre: Country

Best-selling album since 1990: When Love Finds You (1994)

Hit songs since 1990: "I Still Believe in You," "Pocket Full of Gold," "One More Last Chance"

Throughout a long career, Vince Gill has maintained his reputation as one of the most durable performers in country music. Initiating his string of hit singles in the mid-1980s, Gill secured his commercial success during the 1990s and early 2000s. Notable among modern country artists for his ethereal tenor voice and love of traditional music styles, Gill often ignored the slick pop trends that overtook country during the late 1990s. Instead, he pursued his own individualistic style, releasing albums that combine rousing dance numbers with fiddle-drenched ballads of love and heartache. Although critics have noted that Gill's pure, sincere approach can occasionally sound too laid-back, his solid professionalism makes even his lesser work enjoyable. An understated and prolific songwriter, Gill understands how to integrate classic country themes of regret and longing into a modern setting. By the early 2000s, he had exerted his artistic control even further, recording a tribute to his musical hero, country legend Merle Haggard, and acting as his own producer on the 2003 release, Next Big Thing.

As a child growing up in Oklahoma, Gill was encouraged to pursue a career in music by his father, a lawyer who performed part time in a country band. In high school Gill joined Mountain Smoke, a student band that performed bluegrass, a traditional country music style characterized by vocal harmonizing and rapid, rhythmic picking on the banjo. Moving to Louisville, Kentucky, at age eighteen, Gill became part of another band, the Bluegrass Alliance, before heading to Los Angeles to pursue a professional music career. In the late 1970s he joined the rock and country band Pure Prairie League, taking lead vocal duties on the group's hit, "I'm Almost Ready" (1980). Shortly after the single's release, Gill left the band to be with his then pregnant wife, bluegrass vocalist Janis Oliver. After the birth of his daughter, Gill became the guitarist for the Cherry Bombs, a band led by country artist Rodney Crowell. Soon, former Cherry Bombs keyboard player Tony Brown had signed Gill to a solo recording contract with RCA Records. Moving to Nashville, Gill scored his first country hit with the up-tempo, bluegrass-influenced, "Victim of Life's Circumstances" (1984). Gill grew in popularity throughout the remainder of the 1980s, earning a Top 5 country hit with "Cinderella" (1987), a song that worked his bluegrass playing into a smooth country-pop context.

1990s Country Star

During the early 1990s Gill reached a new plateau of commercial success, alternating gentle love ballads with tough dance hits such as "Oklahoma Swing" (1990), a duet with fellow country star Reba McEntire. Singing against an energetic backdrop of fast drums and pedal steel guitar, both performers sound assured and powerful, trading vocal lines and harmonizing with a finely tuned sense of play. By the release of Pocket Full of Gold (1991), Gill's albums had achieved a successful pattern, combining swing numbers and ballads in equal portions. Pocket Full of Gold is highlighted by an updated version of the bluegrass classic "Liza Jane" as well as the aching title track, a classic-styled ballad replete with pedal steel guitar, emotive piano playing by Nashville veteran Hargus "Pig" Robbins, and a lilting melody. Again, Gill proves his talent for writing sharp lyrics with rich thematic imagery. In the song, a man begins an adulterous affair by slipping off his wedding ring. Gill then uses the image of a "pocket full of gold" to represent the price the character must pay: "Some night you're gonna wind up / On the wrong end of a gun . . . what will it say on your tombstone / Here lies a rich man / With a pocket full of gold." During the performance, Gill draws out emotion by climbing higher with his voice, building to a finish that catches the listener off guard with its poignancy. As with much of his finest work, Gill creates an effortless veneer, making his peak emotional moments all the more effective through the use of restraint.

Late 1990s Critical Acclaim

Gill released consistently satisfying albums throughout the 1990s, retaining a traditional sound despite the increased pop formatting of country radio, brought on by the crossover success of artists such as John Michael Montgomery and Shania Twain. After recording two of his most commercially successful albums, I Still Believe in You (1992) and When Love Finds You (1994), Gill released High Lonesome Road (1996), an attempt to survey a wide range of traditional American music styles, including country, rock, and blues. In 1998 he returned with what critics regard as one of his finest efforts, The Key. Recorded almost exclusively in a classic country vein, the album is a tribute to Gill's musical heroes, including his late father. "If You Ever Have Forever in Mind" recalls the "countrypolitan" sound popular in the 1960s and 1970s, complete with strings and cooing backup singers, while "Don't Come Crying to Me" is a vigorous, up-tempo swing number. Set against a gentle bed of percolating banjo and guitar, "The Key to Life" is perhaps the album's most affecting moment, a restrained and loving ode to Gill's musician father: "I learned a few chords on the banjo was the key to life." Throughout The Key Gill's singing displays a new degree of looseness, spiced with vocal leaps and falsetto twists.

Having divorced his first wife in 1997, Gill married Christian pop star Amy Grant in 2000. Since Grant had likewise divorced her husband after falling in love with Gill, the union created mild controversy within conservative circles. Gill's first album after the marriage was Let's Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye (2000), a collection of love songs inspired by his romance with Grant. Although reviewers criticized the album as too sugary, Gill returned to form with the self-produced Next Big Thing (2003). On the guitar-driven title track, Gill sounds reinvigorated, delivering a swaggering groove that suggests brash country-rock artist Delbert McClinton. Proving his voice has not weakened, Gill navigates his tight band through a series of tasteful ballads and rocking dance songs, including the Haggard tribute, "Real Mean Bottle." Opening with an electric guitar line borrowed from Haggard's 1968 classic, "Mama Tried," the song captures the older singer's toughness and honesty: "No man ever sounded so lonesome, no man ever made you feel such pain / Lord, it must've been a real mean bottle, that made you sing that way."

Retaining a sense of musical tradition throughout two decades of country stardom, Gill embodies the spirit of his idol Haggard, who has pursued his own artistic path in defiance of trends. At the same time, Gill has maintained his commercial viability due to unwaveringly pure singing and intelligent songwriting. As a vocalist, Gill's mild-mannered demeanor belies the power he holds in reserve, his consistent taste ensuring that he seldom delivers a weak performance.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

Turn Me Loose (RCA, 1984); Pocket Full of Gold (MCA, 1991); I Still Believe in You (MCA, 1992); When Love Finds You (MCA, 1994); High Lonesome Sound (MCA, 1996); The Key (MCA, 1998); Let's Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye (MCA, 2000); Next Big Thing (MCA, 2003).

WEBSITE:

www.vincegill.com.

david freeland