3 Songs Written but Not Originally Performed by Vince Gill

The 67-year-old, Norman, Oklahoma-born songwriter and performer Vince Gill has led many creative lives. He’s been a solo artist, a country star, part of the indelible classic rock band the Eagles, and he’s penned tunes for other artists to help them along their way in their careers. Today, he’s also one of the standout musicians who personify the Nashville aura.

Here below, we wanted to explore three songs Gill wrote for others. A trio of tracks he manifested from the ether and then passed along to help out artists along their journeys. Indeed, these are three songs written but not originally performed by Vince Gill.

[RELATED: Vince Gill Recalls Two Times He Was Intimidated by His Collaborators: “I Was in Over My Head”]

“The River’s Gonna Keep on Rolling” by Amy Grant from Legacy… Hymns and Faith (2002)

In 2003, Amy Grant won a GMA Dove Award for Song of the Year for her tune “The River’s Gonna Keep on Rolling.” That track, however, was written by Vince Gill. The song, which appeared on Grant’s 2002 LP Legacy… Hymns and Faith along with the song “It Is Well With My Soul,” is a triumphant spiritual number bolstered by emotion and acoustic instruments. And on it, Grant sings sweetly,

God’s love is like the river
At every turn and every bend
And faith in Him will turn your heart around
‘Cause even though we sin
There’s forgiveness in the end
And the river’s gonna keep on rollin’ on

Keep on rollin’ to the ocean
Keep on rollin’ to the sea
Keep on rollin’ ’til the love we need
Washes over you and me
Keep on rollin’ ’til the love we need
Washes over you and me

“You Just Get One” by Ty Herndon from What Mattered Most (1995)

Written by Gill and Don Schlitz, “You Just Get One” by Ty Herndon appeared on the artist’s 1995 LP What Mattered Most. A soft and smooth track, the subject of which is true love, this offering tells the truth that despite all the infatuations and fancies, there is just one real big love. On the tune, Herndon sings with twang and compassion, making the case for the sole soul connection. Indeed, he sings,

You get a lot of pretty days
Some where the sun don’t shine
Make a lot of friends along the way
You leave a few behind

But you just get one, you just get one
You just get one true love
Oh, you just get one, you just get one
You just get one true love

“Prove Me Wrong” by Crystal Gayle from Nobody’s Angel (1988)

Another written by by Gill and Schlitz, this track comes from the country music singer Crystal Gayle’s 1988 LP Nobody’s Angel. Piano-driven and emotive, the song describes the singer’s life—she’s had a lot of people courting her fancy. In fact, she isn’t sure love is for her. But now she’s found someone who is true and might indeed prove to her that love is real. On the tune, the big-voiced Gayle sings,

I’ve had my share of lovers
But they always left me cold
You’re so different from the others
You’re the only one I wanna hold

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