Vince Gill has made his prolific, decades-long career look effortless, but he’d likely be the first to tell you that’s all an illusion. After all, that’s what a great artist does. They a lifetime of hard work into a single, breezy moment on stage that appears to flow out of the musician as easily as breath. But without that lifetime of work, the illusion doesn’t have the same sheen.
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Fortunately for Gill, he’s had plenty of opportunities to hone his chops in multiple genres and styles, leading him to be one of the most genre-fluid guitarists in the business. However, that’s not to say Gill didn’t have to overcome a learning curve or two, especially with one style in particular.
The “Great Learning Curve” of Vince Gill’s Career
Vince Gill has worked as a songwriter, solo artist, singer, and guitarist in Bluegrass, Christian, country, and rock genres. But one career pursuit stands out among the rest as one of Gill’s largest learning curves: Bluegrass. In the first volume of Bill Gaither’s Country Bluegrass Homecoming, Gill talked about the intricacies of this folk-oriented genre. He said Bluegrass is “more band-oriented than anything I know. Its components really are about that community factor. It’s time for the banjo player to shine, so you back him up. It’s time for the mandolin player to shine; you back him up.”
“Sing, they all sing together with harmony,” he continued. “It’s all about great blending and great parts and the tightness you want when everybody’s singing at the same time. It really is a band unit, and it was a great learning curve for me to be involved in Bluegrass music because it really did give me a healthy respect of what everybody brings to the table. And it really brought that whole essence of equality, and it was beautiful.”
Gill developed a loveBluegrassrass in childhood, learning to play the Dobro, fiddle, mandolin, bass guitar, and banjo, in addition to the guitar, which he’s best known for today. Upon graduating high school, Gill formed the bluegrass band Mountain Smoke, which helped him conquer another hard lesson of the music industry: you need to have thick skin.
How Bluegrass Helped The Musician In All Facets Of His Career
Vince Gill’s appreciation of the full band unit, born from his early days in bluegrass music, is evident throughout his decades-long career. Gill’s humble attitude and hard work ethic have garnered him the nickname “the nicest guy in Nashville.” Even when he’s performing with an iconic rock band like the Eagles, Gill stays dedicated to serving the project, not himself. But Bluegrass didn’t just teach Gill how to be an exceptioBluegrassmember.
Bluegrass also helped Gill develop the kind of thick skin one needs to commit to a lifelong career in the music industry. In 1976, Gill’s first bluegrass band, Mountain Smoke, opened a concert in Oklahoma City for a touring band coming through. The touring band in question? The jumpsuit-clad, tongue-wagging, hard rockers from Detroit: KISS. “I went, ‘Nah, can’t be,’” Gill recalled in a 2019 interview with SiriusXM. “We must be doing a Shriner’s convention in the basement or something.”
Sure enough, the promoters had booked the bluegrass outfit to open for the hard rock band. After the first Mountain Smoke song, the crowd started booing…loudly. “Angrily, like a bad football game ending,” Gill described. Irate KISS fans began throwing their bottles on the stage, forcing the bluegrass band to cut their set short after two songs. “On my departure, I hung the bird, bent around and grabbed my a** and said, ‘Y’all can kiss my a**!’” Gill said.
It just goes to show that sometimes, being a good band member means sticking up for your fellow bandmates whenever necessary.
Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
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