Watch an Awestruck Vince Gill Play “Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad” with His Musical Hero Chet Atkins

Vince Gill was at the top of his game in the mid-90s. By 1996, he had won 11 CMA Awards including three consecutive Male Vocalist of the Year awards and an Entertainer of the Year award. At the same time, he was already gaining notoriety as one of the best guitarists in Nashville. However, no matter how high his star had risen, Gill was still nervous to play guitar alongside his hero, the legendary Chet Atkins.

Gill appeared on On the Record with Ralph Emery to do a retrospective of his life and career. During their long conversation, Emery brought up Atkins, asking, “Do you remember the first time you heard a Chet Atkins record?” Gill replied, “Yeah. I was a little boy. We used to go every year to his concerts that he’d put on with himself, Floyd Kramer, and Boots Randolph.” Then, Gill confirmed that Atkins was his first musical hero. “I was mesmerized by how he could play that pattern that he played and make so much music come out of one guitar,” he recalled.

[RELATED: Vince Gill Talks His Biggest Accomplishment: “My Father Was Very Proud of Me”]

Emery then invited Chet to the stage to join them. After a commercial break and a little banter, Emery asked Gill if he’d like to play a song with his hero. “I’ll back him up,” Gill replied. He stuck to that as long as he could. In the video above, he told Atkins, “I ain’t gonna pick in front of you.” Even though he knew he was a stellar guitarist, he was shy about playing alongside a legend like Atkins. After some good-natured goading from his hero, Gill finally plays a solo.

Vince Gill Receives Praise from Chet Atkins

Before they played a rendition of the traditional song “Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad,” Vince Gill received some praise from his hero. “Chet, I assume that in recent years you’ve taken notice of this young talent,” Ralph Emery said.

“Oh yeah, he’s a great guitar player, he really is,” Chet Atkins said, delivering some of the highest praise Gill could receive. “His singin’ ain’t bad either,” he added. “My wife is in love with him and that helps. But most ladies are in love with him, right?”

This interaction just proves that no matter how big a star gets, they’re still just people. In this case, they were just people with massive amounts of talent.

Featured Image by AFF-USA/Shutterstock