Fortunately For Gill, He Never Wanted His Mtv
Here’s something most people don’t know about Vince Gill. He almost became a member of the British rock band Dire Straits before he hit the country jackpot.
That’s right. Gill might have spent his career up there on stage with Mark Knopfler wailing the high, lonesome sound of “I want my MTV!” instead of winning every country music award in existence.
In a recent phone interview from his home near Nashville, Gill told the story:
“Well, Paul Franklin, a steel guitar player here in town, kind of introduced my music to Mark and played him some things… . Then, somewhere early in 1990, Mark came to one of my gigs in New York City, and he heard the show and said, ‘Do you have any interest in coming on tour with me and making some records with me?’
“Man, I was flattered. I really wanted to do it, but I had just signed with MCA, and I had a couple of records come out. They didn’t do great, but I saw a little progress. So I said, ‘I really better not. I just want to see this through. I invested a lot of my life in this country music career, and I don’t want to bail on it.’ “
Excellent call, Vince.
Within the year, Gill’s album, “When I Call Your Name,” came out, and in Gill’s own words, “It changed everything for me.”
That album went double platinum and the title song won a Grammy Award, a Country Music Association Award and a TNN/Music City New Award.
Over the next seven years, Gill has been a one-man hit-making, award-winning machine. He now has six platinum albums (including two double-platinum and one triple-platinum), a bushelful of hit songs and over 30 major awards. He is, without a doubt, one of the biggest country stars of the entire 1990s.
Despite his recently publicized personal troubles (his wife, Janis Gill, filed for divorce early last month), Gill continues to ride a wave of professional success. His latest album, “High Lonesome Sound,” won him yet another Grammy award in February. He also performed on the show with Alison Krauss and Patty Loveless.
Gill’s career has been helped tremendously by these awards and awards shows, but even he thinks there ought to be a limit.
“I think there are too many awards shows, period,” said Gill. “They have a tendency to dilute each other almost.”
In Gill’s case, however, the awards are for sheer talent. Besides being a fine singer and songwriter, he is a brilliant instrumentalist. If he didn’t happen to have star quality, he could have made a good living as a session musician. He can play nearly every stringed instrument ever invented.
“Well, I guess I can, a little bit,” said Gill. “Guitar, of course, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, bass, any of those kind of things.”
What, no lute?
You’d think that he’d get confused sometimes about which instrument, in which tuning, he is playing at the time.
“Not really,” he said, laughing. “If you learn just a little bit on each one, that’s the ticket.”
This tour, sponsored by Kraft, should be anything but cheesy. He has more than a decade of songs to choose from, and most of the ones from the past seven years are instantly recognizable hits.
“I don’t think there will be any surprises,” said Gill. “Big tall guy shows up, sings high and plays loud (laughs).”
Opening the show will be the singer Gill refers to as The Wonder Boy: Bryan White.
White has already had six hit songs in just a little more than one year: “Rebecca Lynn,” “I’m Not Supposed to Love You Anymore,” “Someone Else’s Star,” “So Much for Pretending,” “That’s Another Song” and “Sittin’ On Go.”
And at age 21, he is a bona fide teen situation. His face makes regular appearances in such magazines as 16, Teen and Tiger Beat.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: CONCERT Vince Gill and Bryan White perform at 7:30 tonight at the Spokane Arena. Tickets are $24.50, available at G&B Select-a-Seat outlets or call (800) 325-SEAT.