Vince Gill is a Grammy Award-winning country music singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and member of the Eagles.
Born on April 12, 1957, in Norman, Oklahoma, Gill is the youngest of three children of Jerene and Stan Gill. His father was a federal appellate court judge and amateur musician who played banjo and encouraged Vince's musical interests.
Gill began playing guitar at a young age (as early as four) and also learned banjo, mandolin, Dobro, bass, and fiddle. He grew up influenced by bluegrass, country, and rock. While in high school, he joined the bluegrass band Mountain Smoke. At 18, he moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and played with groups like Bluegrass Alliance and briefly with Ricky Skaggs’ Boone Creek.
Gill gained his first mainstream exposure from 1978 to 1982 as the lead singer of the soft rock/country band Pure Prairie League, contributing to several albums.
He moved to Nashville in 1983, initially recording for RCA Records with modest success. His breakthrough came in 1989–1990 with the MCA album When I Call Your Name, particularly the title track, which became a major hit. It earned CMA Single and Song of the Year awards and a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.
Throughout the 1990s, Gill became one of country music’s biggest stars, known for his soaring tenor voice, virtuoso guitar playing, and a blend of traditional country, bluegrass, pop, and rock. He released numerous hits and platinum albums. He hosted the CMA Awards for many years (1992–2003) and won Entertainer of the Year in 1993 and 1994.
Notable later work includes membership in the Western swing group The Time Jumpers (2010–2020) and joining the Eagles in 2017 as a guitarist and vocalist following Glenn Frey’s death.
