Despite their similar instrumentation and musical origins, crossovers between country and rock ‘n’ roll can sometimes be divisive—which is why Don Henley crafted a perfect response to any Eagles fans incredulous about why country star Vince Gill would join the lineup.
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Vince Gill joined the Eagles in 2017 following the death of founding member Glenn Frey. While the mash-up might’ve been a bit controversial to genre purists, multi-instrumentalist Henley had one short and sweet reason for hiring Gill to take Frey’s place.
Don Henley’s Response to Why the Eagles Added Vince Gill
In an exclusive interview with American Songwriter, country legend and the “nicest guy in Nashville” Vince Gill recalled when someone asked Don Henley why the Eagles decided to hire Gill. “He smiled and said, ‘Because he knows how to be in a band,’” Gill said.
“That was such a beautiful validation. I don’t have to have the attention, the spotlight; I don’t have to do all the talking,” Gill continued. “It’s proven to me that it doesn’t really matter what role you have, just as long as what you’re trying to do is make it better. That’s what I like.” Gill shared similar sentiments in a later interview.
“What I’m doing is important to making what they do work,” Gill said of his role in the Eagles. “I don’t have the lion’s share of the attention, [and] I don’t want it. I was never that compelled by needing it or anything. So, that’s what Don Henley said about me when I first started playing with them [and] somebody asked him in the press, ‘Why’d you get the country guy?’”
Both Musicians Had Similar Responses to Each Other
Vince Gill joining the Eagles might have been a surprise to country and rock fans, but it was less of a shock to Gill and Don Henley. Gill later revealed in an interview, “Don told me in confidence, ‘You’re the only guy I wanted that I would have done this with,’ which meant the world to me.”
For Gill, his four-word acceptance of Don Henley’s offer was a no-brainer. “It’s not something you can dream up and think about and aim for or any of that stuff,” Gill said. “[The band’s management called and] said, ‘Would you consider it?’ And I said, ‘When do we leave?’”
Not even his warm reception to the Eagles was enough to shake Gill’s focus from his role in the band. When Henley heard Gill sound-checking his hit “Whenever You Come Around,” the Eagles founder asked Gill if they could add it to their tour repertoire. “I said, ‘With all due respect, I’d rather not,’” Gill remembered in his interview with Stephen Hogan.
“I don’t want to give these people one more reason to not like me; I don’t want anybody sitting out there saying, ‘I didn’t come here to hear Vince’s songs; I came here to hear the Eagles,’” he continued. “That’s how I respect that.”
Photo by Frank Micelotta/Picturegroup/Shutterstock
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