5 of the Best Vince Gill Stories We’ve Ever Heard

Southerners have a knack for storytelling, and Oklahoma-born Vince Gill is certainly no exception. Throughout his decades-long career, Gill has provided countless stories and tales through his prolific musical catalogue. But he also has plenty of anecdotes outside of his discography that are just as memorable, sweet, and sometimes downright hilarious. These are some of our all-time favorites.

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The First Time He Ever Heard Amy Grant Sing

Despite the drama that followed Vince Gill and Amy Grant in their transition from colleagues to husband and wife, the two musicians knew the bond they shared was special, even before they officially met. According to Gill, he first heard Grant on the radio while he was driving through Nashville traffic. “I pulled the car over,” Gill later said. “I said, ‘There’s something in that voice. It’s connecting to me.’”

His Dad Calling His Work to Get Free Pizza

Vince Gill often shares anecdotes and details from his childhood in Oklahoma while on stage. One of the funniest we’ve heard is the times when his dad would call the pizza shop where Gill worked as a teenager. His dad would tell Gill to mess a pizza up—as in, make a “wrong” order that the shop would have to throw out. Gill would take the pizza instead and bring it home to his dad when he got off work.

The Time Tony Soprano Confronted Vince Gill

Those who know Vince Gill know he loves doing impressions. One time, his penchant for mimicry led to a memorable encounter with James Gandolfini, the actor who played Tony Soprano in The Sopranos. Gill adopted a New York accent while presenting at the CMA Awards, the year it was held in the Big Apple, and Gandolfini was in the audience. Gandolfini saw Gill backstage after the show and complimented him on his New York City, “How you doin’?”

When He Stood Up to Protestors Outside of a Venue

He might be the nicest guy in Nashville, but Vince Gill knows how to fight back when necessary. In 2013, Gill confronted Westboro Baptist Church members outside of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City. When protestors brought up Gill’s relationship to Grant, who had previously been married, Gill said, “You f***ers are lucky that you don’t have a sign that says something about my wife.”

Getting Mistaken For Alan Jackson at a Hotel Bar

Someone as acutely humble as Vince Gill isn’t going to parade their star power around. So, when Gill and the rest of his touring crew crashed a hotel karaoke night, he didn’t let on to who he was. Gill pretended to sing off-key, even when he was performing a duet with a woman who said she thought she recognized him at the bar. Gill denied it until the very end, admitting that he was a “fairly well-known singer” from Nashville. The woman hilariously replied, “That’s where I knew you from! You that Alan Jackson boy!”

Mooning a KISS Crowd in 1976

Back when Vince Gill was playing bluegrass with Mountain Smoke, he ended up on the opening slot for heavy rock ‘n’ rollers KISS. He was surprised, but the crowd was straight-up flabbergasted. Gill tried to maintain a pleasant disposition, even while they were getting booed. But after an entire set of consistent booing and heckling, Gill had had enough. As the band was walking off stage, he flipped the crowd the bird and mooned them. Which is actually pretty rock ‘n’ roll.

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