The Eagles are one of the most ubiquitous bands in classic rock history, with a catalogue of hits that are instantly recognizable (sometimes to a fault), which essentially meant that when Vince Gill joined the band in 2017, virtually anyone with even a vague awareness of The Eagles’ music would be able to tell if he did his homework. That’s a lot of pressure, especially for a guy who didn’t make his name as a rock ‘n’ roller, although he was no stranger to it.
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As it turns out, that nervous pressure went both ways. Speaking to Guitar Player in 2025, Joe Walsh said that playing with Gill was “terrifying” in a good way. “He’s just a guy. But boy, he plugged right in with the vocals and playing. I feel like I’m related to him. We’re related but not to each other. I’m speechless when he sings. To join a band when he hadn’t been in a band for 30 years and trying to replace Glenn [Frey, vocalist and guitarist], not easy. We told him, ‘No, we want you to be Vince.’ That helped a lot.”
Walsh added, “He tells me I make him nervous, too, so it works out really good.” And indeed it does. Like Walsh said, Gill seemed to fit seamlessly into the fold of a band that’s been putting out hit records since Gill was 14. But of course, that’s what happens when you’ve polished your chops to near perfection over all those years, like Gill has.
Vince Gill Is Himself in the Eagles, but Not Too Much
The Eagles’ note about wanting Vince Gill to be Vince Gill, not Glenn Frey, was certainly a helpful starting point for a musician joining a legacy rock ‘n’ roll band decades after their founding. But Gill is only willing to take that individuality so far. Above all else, he’s made a concerted effort not to put himself in the spotlight any more than his celebrity alone already does.
In an exclusive interview with American Songwriter, Gill recalled playing a snippet of “Whenever You Come Around” during a soundcheck for The Eagles. Drummer Don Henley asked Gill about the song and suggested they work up a cover of it, to which Gill replied, “Well, with all due respect, I’d rather not.” Henley asked him why.
Gill said, “Look, what I’m getting ready to do, this is going to be pretty uncomfortable for a lot of people, me included, [and] I don’t want to give them one more reason not to be happy that I’m out there. I don’t want them to sit in those seats saying, ‘I didn’t come here to hear Vince Gill songs. I came here to hear Eagle songs.”
The move was fairly unsurprising, given Gill’s humble, music-first attitude. And while a collaboration between The Eagles and Gill might have seemed unlikely at first, it’s clear that the musicians’ reverence and respect for one another have made it successful. “I think Glenn [Frey] would be proud of this,” Joe Walsh told Guitar Player. “We’ve got a pretty good lineup across the front of the stage in terms of guitar players, and it’s working really, really well.”
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