3 Songs Vince Gill Wrote That Changed Other Artists’ Careers

Vince Gill is one of the most beloved and talented country artists of his generation. He recorded much of his own material through the years, and other musicians have benefited from recording the tracks he wrote. Let’s look at just a few examples, shall we?

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“Oklahoma Swing” by Vince Gill and Reba McEntire (1990)

This duet was not only a success for Reba McEntire, but it was a career-changing hit for Vince Gill as well. Co-written by Gill and Tim DuBois, “Oklahoma Swing” was featured on Gill’s breakthrough 1990 album When I Call Your Name. It perpetuated Reba’s momentum at the top of the country charts at the time, too. It was released during a period of back-to-back-to-back Top 10 hits for the singer. And what a fine ode to Oklahoma it is! “Oklahoma Swing” peaked at No. 13 on the US country chart and No. 7 on the Canadian country chart in 1990.

“Never Alone” by Roseanne Cash (1985)

This tune was a cowritten effort between Roseanne Cash and Vince Gill back in the day. At the time, it wasn’t an enormous hit, but it was part of Cash’s 1985 album Rhythm & Romance. That album would be Cash’s second No. 1 hit on the US country charts. It helped to keep up her momentum of success in the 1980s. Later, in 1989, Vince Gill would record the song himself for When I Call Your Name, and it would be a No. 22 hit for him.

“Here We Are” by Alabama (1991)

Remember this Alabama jam from 1991? “Here We Are” was released as a single off the band’s early 90s record Pass It On Down. It was a smash hit on the country charts, peaking at No. 3 in Canada and No. 2 in the US. The song was written by Beth Nielsen Chapman and Vince Gill for the group. And like the other entries on this list, it kept up the band’s momentum on the charts in the 1990s. Alabama was huge in the 1980s, and like any band of their stature, they were faced with the prospect of falling off in the 1990s. “Here We Are”, along with crossover hits like “Forever’s As Far As I’ll Go” and “Then Again”, kept them on a string of Top 10 hits well through the end of the decade.

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