CONCERT ANNOUNCEMENT

VINCE GILL RESCHEDULED DATE

The new rescheduled date for the Vince Gill show at the Stifel Theatre has been announced as February 1, 2019.

Tickets for the November 16 date will be honored for the February 1 show, with the same starting time of 7:30 p.m.

New ticket sales will be announced soon.

Vince Gill headed to River City Casino venue

 

Concert scheduled for Friday, March 20

Concert is subject to change or cancellation without notice. Invitation is non-transferable and only offered for one show. Valid ID required. Must be 21 years of age or older. See mychoice® Center for details. Offer not valid for persons on Missouri Disassociated Persons or Excluded lists or who have been otherwise excluded from River City or any other properties owned by Pinnacle Entertainment. Gambling problem? Call 1-888-BETSOFF. ©2014 Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
 For show and ticket information, visit the River City Casino FB page at https://www.facebook.com/rivercitycasino

Vince Gill, Kathleen Madigan to Headline Second Annual

‘Ozzie & Friends Concert’ Benefiting PGA REACH

 

Lineup Curated by Hall of Fame Shortstop Ozzie Smith to Help Keep St. Louis Youth in School

 

ST. LOUIS (February 10, 2014) – Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith is proud to announce the entertainment lineup for the second annual “Ozzie & Friends Concert – A Benefit for PGA Reach,” featuring Grammy Award-winning country music star Vince Gill and world-renowned comedian Kathleen Madigan, with Smith’s son, and American Idol finalist, Nikko Smith as the opening act.

 

The Ozzie & Friends Concert will take place on Thursday, May 1, 2014, at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and entertainment will begin at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets for the event, beginning at $30 each, will go on sale via Ticketmaster on Friday, February 14, 2014.

 

In addition to selling more than 26 million albums, Gill has been honored with multiple industry accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, 18 CMA Awards, and Entertainer of the Year in 1993 and 1994.  Madigan, meanwhile, is a St. Louis Native who has won the American Comedy and Phyllis Diller Award for “Best Female Comedian.”

 

All proceeds will directly benefit PGA REACH (Recreation, Education, Awareness, Community, and Health), helping keep St. Louis-area youths in school.  Founded locally by the Gateway PGA Foundation, the PGA of America, and the St. Louis golfing community, PGA REACH has partnered with the Boys & Girls Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, and Urban K-Life to help fill idle time for at-risk youth, improving their health, wellness and career prospects. Within those partner programs, PGA REACH also has a larger goal of applying the lessons learned in golf – including focus and determination – well beyond the 18th hole.

 

“PGA REACH is a cause that’s near and dear to my heart,” said Smith, who serves as the president of the Gateway PGA Foundation. “Youths spend more than 80 percent of their days outside the classroom.  Our partner organizations help fill that idle time with productive activities.  Meanwhile, introducing them to the sport of golf, which requires immense self-control and discipline, will no doubt carry over to other parts of their lives and help them fulfill their potential within our community.”

 

For more information on PGA REACH please visit www.gatewaypga.org/pgareach

 

Ozzie and Friends ticketsare on sale now, and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com

SUPERSTAR COLLABORATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR “THE 47TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS” AIRING WEDNESDAY, NOV. 6 ON THE ABC TELEVISION NETWORK   NASHVILLE – “Country Music’s Biggest Night™” will get an added dose of star power as some of music’s biggest names join forces to perform together on “The 47th Annual CMA Awards” airing Wednesday, Nov. 6 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network. Two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year Taylor Swift will take the stage with Vince Gill and Alison Krauss. Other exciting collaborations on tap for the evening include CMA Awards nominees Zac Brown Band performing with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, and reigning CMA New Artist of the Year Hunter Hayes performing with Jason Mraz. “The CMA Awards are renowned for presenting those one-of-a-kind collaborations that everyone is talking about the next day,” said Ed Hardy, President of the CMA Board of Directors. “This year is no exception and these unique collaborations are not to be missed.” Hosted for the sixth consecutive year by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, “The 47th Annual CMA Awards” will air live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Swift is tied as one of the year’s top nominees, earning six nominations including Entertainer and Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for RED, and Single, Musical Event, and Music Video of the Year for “Highway Don’t Care” with Tim McGraw and Keith Urban. She has 21 career CMA Awards nominations and seven trophies. Gill is nominated this year for Musical Event of the Year for “Don’t Rush” with Kelly Clarkson. The Country Music Hall of Fame member is an 18-time CMA Award winner, including two wins for Entertainer of the Year and five for Male Vocalist of the Year. He is the fourth-most nominated artist in CMA history, with 52 career nominations. Krauss is an eight-time CMA Award winner with 24 career CMA Awards nominations. She was awarded her first trophies in 1995 when she was named Female Vocalist of the Year and also won the Horizon Award (now known as New Artist of the Year), Single of the Year for “When You Say Nothing At All,” and Vocal Event of the Year for “Somewhere In The Vicinity of the Heart” with Shenandoah. Zac Brown Band are 13-time CMA Awards nominees who took home the New Artist of the Year trophy in 2010. The group is nominated this year for Vocal Group of the Year, a category they have been nominated in every year since 2009. Grohl is the 13-time GRAMMY Award-winning founder and frontman of Foo Fighters. He recently made his debut as a feature documentary director/producer with “Sound City,” named for the legendary Van Nuys, Calif. studio where he recorded his first full album as drummer for Nirvana, the generation-defining Nevermind. Hayes earned his first CMA Awards nomination and win last year for New Artist of the Year. He recently celebrated his third consecutive No. 1 single, his fourth single off his Platinum-selling debut album, Hunter Hayes, and is currently on his sold-out "Let's Be Crazy Tour." Mraz has amassed a youthful, diverse, and vibrant fan-base throughout the world. His critically acclaimed live performances have propelled him from the San Diego coffee house circuit to amphitheaters, arenas, festivals and stadiums everywhere. Mraz is Platinum or multi-Platinum in more than 20 countries and has multiple GRAMMY Awards and nominations. He also has strong ties to Country Music as a co-writer on CMA Awards nominees Zac Brown Band's "Jump Right In" and also performing with Hayes at the 2013 CMA Music Festival. Tickets for “The 47th Annual CMA Awards” are officially sold-out, marking the fifth year in a row the ceremony has sold out in advance. Winners of “The 47th Annual CMA Awards” will be determined in a final round of voting by eligible voting members of the Country Music Association. CMA Awards balloting is officiated by the international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP. Voting for the CMA Awards final ballot ends Monday, Oct. 28 (5:00 PM/CT). The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by more than 7,000 industry professional members of CMA, which was formed in 1958 as the first trade organization to promote an individual genre of music. The first “CMA Awards Banquet and Show” was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards was broadcast for the first time – making it the longest-running, annual music awards program on network television. The CMA Awards moved to ABC in 2006, where it will remain through 2021. Official merchandise for “The 47th Annual CMA Awards” is available now at CMAawards.com. “The 47th Annual CMA Awards” is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer, Paul Miller is the Director, and David Wild is the writer. The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound. For more information, visit CMAawards.com. Chevrolet™ is the Official Ride of Country Music. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the CMA Awards. -30-

Vince Gill, Kenny Rogers, Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, Patty Loveless, Jo Dee Messina, Ronnie Milsap, Restless Heart And Many More To Set Sail On the Inaugural COUNTRY MUSIC CRUISE

 

7-Day Luxury Voyage Runs January 19-26, 2014 From Ft. Lauderdale to Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Marten and Half Moon Cay

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla.,  -- The very first Country Music Cruise will launch in early 2014 and sail through the Caribbean with an incredible group of superstars and much-loved fan favorites onboard including Vince Gill, Kenny Rogers, Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, Patty Loveless, Jo Dee Messina, Ronnie Milsap, and Restless Heart with television personality Lorraine Crook hosting the entire journey.  The vacation of a lifetime for country music fans, the cruise will hold intimate concerts every day, exclusive events not available anywhere else, activities, comedians, world class dining, deluxe accommodations, and much more for seven luxurious days aboard Holland America's MS Eurodam.  All concert tickets, activities and meals are included, with further information available at www.CountryMusicCruise.com.

The stars scheduled to perform on the 2014 Country Music Cruise have an astounding 350 hit singles between them, with nearly 90 #1 hits.  In addition to the headlining concerts, clubs on the ship will host performances by even more artists such as Andy Griggs, Wade Hayes, Ty Herndon, Jamie O'Neal, The Warren Brothers, Bryan White and others.  Chuck Mead from BR549 will be playing daily poolside.  Amidst the music, guests will be invited to a beach party on their very own private island, line dancing events, cooking exhibitions, wine tasting, songwriter workshops, spirited trivia contests, exclusive screenings of country music films and documentaries, games and more.  The ship will also dock in several ports, where guests can explore the majestic beauty and vibrant culture of Grand Turk (Turks and Caicos), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Philipsburg (Saint Maarten), and Half Moon Cay (Bahamas).  Not only will the voyage give fans the rare opportunity to see so many of their favorite singers all in one location, it all takes place among breathtaking ocean and island vistas on one of the most magnificent ships at sea. 
"Country music fans are in for something really special," says Vince Gill.  "Not only will they get to experience a luxurious ocean cruise, but they can enjoy exclusive concerts by country music's iconic superstars.  The cruise is destined to become a vacation destination in the years to come."  "I couldn't be more excited about performing on the Country Music Cruise and being a part of a vacation that my fans will never forget," adds Kenny Rogers. 
"This will be the Country Music party of a lifetime. Real stars, real music and real friends, both old and new," said Mike Jason, Senior Vice President Retail, StarVista Entertainment/Time Life. "We have produced over 35 full ship charter music cruises and 'Country Music' is a perfect genre for an exciting and overall cruise experience," said Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of Entertainment Cruise Productions. The programming and entertainment opportunities for the Country Music Cruise are unparalleled.  It will be so much fun."
Cabins are available now at www.CountryMusicCruise.com.or by calling (toll free) 1 855 332 6868.  Early reservation Country Music Cruise fan rates start at just $1,925 per person and include all meals, concerts, entertainment and onboard activities.
About Entertainment Cruise Productions Holdings, LLC
Entertainment Cruise Productions Holdings LLC is a joint venture between Entertainment Cruise Productions and Direct Holdings Global LLC.   Direct Holdings Global, most notably associated with the success of the Time Life brand, is a multi-channel marketer, distributor, and leader in entertainment and lifestyle direct-to-consumer marketing.

SOURCE Time Life

Web Site: http://www.CountryMusicCruise.com

Vince Gill is Big Winner at 18th Annual
ICM Faith, Family & Country™ Awards

Awards to Air on Nashville’s News 2,
WKRN-TV on December 23

Nashville, TN (Oct. 18, 2012) – The 18th Annual ICM Faith, Family & Country Awards rolled out the red carpet at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony for Inspirational Country artists last night. Vince Gill was a big winner of the night, taking home two awards—Mainstream Inspirational Country Song and Mainstream Country Artist. Other winners included Chuck Day for Entertainer of the Year, Joyful Noise for Faith, Family and Country Movie and The Roys for Inspirational Bluegrass Artist. For a complete list of winners, please see below or visit www.FaithFamilyCountry.com.

Highlights of the evening included performances by Mac Powell, performing music from his new country album, as well as moving performances from Andy Griggs, John Berry, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver and Crawford Crossing. Dr. Johnny Lee Cook was the recipient of this year’s Living Legend Award. Ronald McDonald was on-hand representing Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville—a portion of the proceeds from the week-long event were donated to the charity.

In addition to being aired on Total Living Network, Golden Eagle Broadcasting, TCT Television Network and NRB Network, Nashville's News 2, WKRN-TV, the ABC affiliate in Nashville, Tenn., will be airing the awards this year for the first time. The 18th Annual ICM Faith, Family & Country Awards will air on Dec. 23 from 1pm-3pm.

"We at Nashville's News 2 WKRN-TV are thrilled to be a part of this year's Inspirational Country Music Awards," said Michelle Dube, Director of Programming and Community Affairs. "This is a special event for those involved and the fans of their music and we look forward to sharing it with them."

The 18th Annual ICM Faith, Family & Country Awards Winners

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR:
Chuck Day

MALE VOCALIST:
Chuck Hancock

FEMALE VOCALIST:
Laura Dodd

VOCAL DUO / VOCAL DUO PERFORMANCE:
Branded

VOCAL GROUP OR BAND:
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

MAINSTREAM INSPIRATIONAL COUNTRY SONG:
“Threaten Me With Heaven” Vince Gill

MAINSTREAM COUNTRY ARTIST:
Vince Gill

CHRISTIAN COUNTRY SONG:
“Jesus Is Enough” Russ Murphy

SONGWRITER:
Chuck Hancock

NEW ARTIST:
Larissa

VIDEO:
“Loves Gotta Go Somewhere” Steve Richard

MUSICIAN:
Greg McDougal

COMEDIAN:
Johnny Lee Cook

RADIO PERSONALITY:
Rich Miller

RADIO STATION/NETWORK:
WSM AM 650

INSPIRATIONAL BLUEGRASS ARTIST:
The Roys

YOUTH IN MUSIC AWARD:
Isaac Cole

MUSIC EVANGELIST OF THE YEAR:
Tommy Brandt

FAITH, FAMILY, & COUNTRY MOVIE:
Joyful Noise

TELEVISION NETWORK:
Gospel Music Channel

VINCE GILL, BRAD PAISLEY, AND KEITH URBAN PAY TRIBUTE TO GLEN CAMPBELL ON "THE 45TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS"

NASHVILLE - Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Brad Paisley and former CMA Entertainers of the Year Vince Gill and Keith Urban will pay tribute to Country Music Hall of Fame member and former CMA Entertainer of the Year Glen Campbell during "The 45^th Annual CMA Awards." The three guitar virtuosos' performance saluting the legendary singer/musician will be a highlight of "Country Music's Biggest Night(tm)." 

"The 45^th Annual CMA Awards," hosted by Paisley and Carrie Underwood, airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network. Previously announced performers include Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Thompson Square, Keith Urban, Chris Young, and Zac Brown Band, plus Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter singing their hit collaboration "You and Tequila;" Rascal Flatts and Natasha Bedingfield singing their current hit duet "Easy;" Lionel Richie performing a medley of hits with Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, and Darius Rucker; and co-hosts Paisley and Underwood in their first live televised-performance of their No. 1 song "Remind Me."    

Campbell was named both CMA Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year in 1968, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. The legendary performer has sold more than 45 million albums and recorded such classic hits as "Wichita Lineman," "Gentle On My Mind," "Galveston," "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Southern Nights," and "Rhinestone Cowboy." As a musician, Campbell was part of the much-heralded Wrecking Crew that performed on a variety of artists' albums. His guitar prowess is featured on the Beach Boys' seminal album Pet Sounds and on Frank Sinatra's megahit "Strangers in the Night," among others. He acted alongside John Wayne in the movie "True Grit," and hosted "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" on television from 1968-1972. Earlier this year, Campbell announced he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He is in the midst of his successful Goodbye Tour after releasing his final album, the critically-acclaimed Ghost on the Canvas.  

Gill is No. 3 on the list for the most career wins in CMA Award history, having won 18 CMA Awards thus far, including two Entertainer Awards (1993, 1994), five consecutive Male Vocalist Awards (1991-1995, tying him with George Strait for the most wins in that category), two Album Awards (1993 for I Still Believe in You and 1994 for Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles), and a record-holding four Song of the Year Awards (1991 for "When I Call Your Name," 1992 for "Look at Us," 1993 for "I Still Believe In You," and 1996 for "Go Rest High On That Mountain"). Gill served as host of the CMA Awards for 12 consecutive years (1992-2003), a record for hosts of any nationally televised Awards show. He released his new album, Guitar Slinger, last week.

 The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, Paisley received five nominations in 2011 for Entertainer; Male Vocalist; Album for This is Country Music; and Musical Event and Music Video of the Year for "Old Alabama," featuring Alabama. Paisley has won 14 CMA Awards to date, including three consecutive Male Vocalist Awards (2007-2009) and Album of the Year (in 2006 for Time Well Wasted). This is his fourth consecutive year to co-host the CMA Awards with Underwood.  

Urban received two nominations this year: Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year. He has won four CMA Awards to date: Entertainer in 2005 and three consecutive Male Vocalist of the Year Awards (2004-2006). Urban's current album is Get Closer.

 

"The 45^th Annual CMA Awards" is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer, Paul Miller is the Director, and David Wild is the writer. The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.

Vince Gill’s Floor Plan for "Guitar Slinger"

By Bob Doerschuk
© 2011 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.
“And this,” said Vince Gill, “is the LeAnn Rimes Memorial Bathroom.”
It’s a small but comfortable room, just a few steps away from the 32-track recording studio that the CMA Country Music Hall of Fame member built in his Belle Meade, Tenn. home. The only thing that attracts attention is the amplifier positioned just to the left of the doorway.
It seems that Rimes was visiting one day during the sessions for Guitar Slinger, Gill’s new album on MCA Nashville. Musicians were gathered in the studio, going over parts and tweaking their sound. She had just gone into the restroom when a guitarist decided to check his tone. Unfortunately, his microphone and amp were in that restroom, the volume pumped up pretty high.
Gill, remembering that moment, mimed playing a bent-note, upper-neck feedback screech. “And LeAnn said she hit the ceiling,” he remembered. “I don’t know whether that’s true or not, but she was out of there pretty quick.”
Such are the things that can happen when an artist transforms part of his home into a working space. At the very least, you come up with stories you’re not likely to hear about tracking in commercial studios. At best, you save on multiple fronts, including travel time, rental costs and more.
“I haven’t found any minuses to recording at home, to be honest,” Gill said. “My biggest concern is, is it going to sound great? That’s the whole purpose of any studio. At the same time, if you’ve got a great song, it doesn’t matter where you record it. People are going to respond to a great song every time. If the bass sound isn’t just so good, if the kick drum doesn’t sound just so great, or if the guitar tone is a little thin, most people don’t ever hear any of that. The mantra should be ‘serve the song.’”
Gill’s priorities don’t diminish the importance of having a great production with state-of-the-art gear. Rather, they indicate that the purpose of production is to bring out the expressive potential of the tune. This has guided Gill on all of the sessions he’s had, though with Guitar Slinger he took the concept further by doing some of the recording outside the studio doors, in an add-on acoustically dry room, at the end of a hallway, in his living room, even in a closet and of course in the Memorial Bathroom.
To put the conversion of these areas in context, go back to Gill’s and his wife Amy Grant’s decision to make a few changes in their living space. ���We lived here for nine years before we even thought about putting a studio in here,” he recalled. “I said to Amy, after we’d been married a few years, ‘How are things?’ She said, ‘Well, to be real honest, there are times when I still feel like a stranger in my own house.’ So after living here for a little bit of time, we said, ‘Okay, we don’t really need a pool table in this room. Nobody plays pool here.’ We’d go through the house and ask, ‘Do we really need a fancy dining room here? Let’s make it a sitting parlor and I could have my desk in there.’ Little by little, I felt like this part of the house could finally serve what would benefit me the most. You find ways to connect what you do and love and make them a part of your home.”
That meant building a studio. Gill invested in the best equipment, relying on advice from friends who kept informed on gear. Eventually, anchored by a 32-channel API board, it took shape in a high-ceilinged space, with a sunken area next to a big working fireplace. It’s as much a place to hang out with friends as it is a facility for top-notch tracking, with tiny amps and car models, a clock with hands set against a Fender logo and amplifier grill cloth and other details enhancing the cozy, vintage décor. He’s even stowed active amps in the bottom of cabinets that line one wall within soundproofing that allows tracks to be captured without any audio bleed.
Eventually, Gill began thinking about expanding his recording options beyond the studio doors. “I’m grateful that I went up to Sheryl Crow’s house,” he said. “She had a fantastic studio built in her basement. I was working on mine, and I was like, ‘Man, she’s got two rooms to do overdubs in. She’s got a lounge. I could do this too; I could build a room onto the side of my studio.’ I realized that if I didn’t take it to a certain level, I’d always be trapped by headphones. That just didn’t sound like fun to me, so I went further than I probably ever intended. I don’t know if I ever intended to put a whole keyboard world in another room. I didn’t think the API desk would be as big as the one I wound up buying. I wound up buying some really big speakers that could crank it up so it sounds like a million bucks. And I never intended to build an extra room. Why not? I’ll be making music in there for 20 years or more.”
That room, acoustically dry, is lined by amplifier grill cloth on the ceiling and the double walls, one external and the other internal, to keep sound from transferring from the inside or the outside. The floor is similarly layered, with two made of cement and two more of wood. “You can do guitar overdubs in here,” Gill noted. “But I set up the drums in here more often than not. The first thought was that, with these two big windows, it was going to be too reflective and live, but as it turns out drummers freak out about the sound in here. They say there’s a bigger depth in the bottom end of the kick drum. We do a lot of vocals in here too. If you need separation, if something needs to be on its own, this works.”
The selection widened as one room led to the next. Just outside the studio door, the end of a hallway, with high ceilings and wood floor, is live enough to add depth to acoustic guitars and upright basses. A nearby closet proves perfect for miking a Leslie speaker, which connects to the Hammond B-3 organ in the living room, just steps away from a Yamaha concert grand piano.
John Hobbs, who has played piano, organ and other keyboards on many of Gill’s sessions as far back as Turn Me Loose in 1983, sees one reason why the idea of “studio” has morphed into this network of rooms. “People that just have their home studios all in one room aren’t usually cutting a band live, which is very much what the approach to this album was — and it always is with Vince,” he said. “He doesn’t like to do a lot of overdubbing, apart from taking vocal passes and doing the background vocals or maybe allowing for an instrumentalist that’s not available on the day of tracking that he really wants to get on a particular song. But the piano really needs to be in a different room. Acoustic piano mics are really hot, so leakage is always an issue. Even the leakage from my headphones, if they’re turned up loud while I’m sitting at the piano, can be an issue. And with the Leslie in a cabinet by itself, it’s really a function of keeping the leakage down.”
Produced by Gill, Hobbs and Justin Niebank, Guitar Slinger is sonically impressive, intimate and romantic on ballads (“True Love,” written and sung by Gill and Grant), majestic where gospel exultation meets searing lead guitar (“Threaten Me with Heaven,” by Gill, Grant, Will Owsley and Dillon O’Brian) and shimmering with steel and triple fiddles on the waltz-time “Buttermilk John” (Gill). But the composer/ singer/guitarist proves correct in asserting that every note played and every knob turned takes the listener deeper into the music and the lyric.
Much of the material is narrative, from the (true) story of a friend’s sad demise in “Billy Paul” (Gill) to its retrograde, chronicling the salvation of a hopeless man at the end of his journey in “Bread and Water” (Gill and Leslie Satcher). It’s not just the quality of this work that distinguishes Guitar Slinger; it’s the fact of its being done at all.
“That’s important to me because I learned that great stories make great songs,” he explained. “It’s not very prevalent in what’s going on today; instead, it’s a little more attitude and a little more swagger. What shocks me is a song like ‘The House That Built Me’ (Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin), that Miranda (Lambert) recorded. I just want to go, ‘Guys! Look at this! This should teach you. People are still moved.’ Guy Clark taught me that if you’re not able to really see the picture that the words say, then find a way to say it where those pictures come alive. That, to me, is great songwriting: If somebody hears a song, they can perceive it any way they want and paint their own pictures. That’s why I don’t like videos: You don’t give the imagination a chance to work.
“I think it would be so easy to put this music back on a great path with people writing and recording great songs again,” he summed up. “It’s not that hard.”
On the Web: www.VinceGill.com

Vince Gill Returns With "Threaten Me With Heaven"

Calls New Single "Crown Jewel" of Forthcoming Album,Guitar Slinger

NASHVILLE, TN -- After a long and musically productive spell of writing, touring and recording with other artists, Vince Gillroars back on his own with "Threaten Me With Heaven,"which will be released in late summer and is his first single in four years.  The song is the opening salvo from his MCA Records album, Guitar Slinger, due out this fall.

Gill co-wrote "Threaten Me With Heaven" with his wife, singer/songwriter Amy Grant, Dillon O'Brian and Will Owsley.   

"Since the song was recorded, my friend Will Owsley took his own life, so the song has a profound impact on me now," Gill laments.  "In my lifetime, 'Go Rest High On That Mountain' has been the song that helped a lot of people through their grief. I think this one will in turn hopefully do the same thing. It's a powerful, powerful song.  I feel like it's the crown jewel of the new record."

And that's quite a statement, considering that this album includes some of the most poignant and moving songs of his career, such as "Bread and Water" and "If I Die." But the album also features fun, upbeat songs as well, and serves as a wonderful showplace for his guitar playing.  Gill wrote every song on the album, which was the first project recorded from start to finish at his new home studio.

"I feel like the emphasis has been on the songs and the songs have gotten better," he says. "They really run the gamut of what they are about, how they feel, how they sound. It's not an all-traditional record, it's not an all-contemporary record; it's all over the map, like I kind of have always been. But it doesn't feel out of step with anything I've done previously."

Guitar Slinger is the follow-up to his critically acclaimed four-CD, 43-song box set, These Days, which was certified platinum, won the 2006 Grammy for Best Country Album and received an overall Grammy Album of the Year nomination. "That never feels anything but great," he says of the album's overwhelming reception.

Gill didn't have any specific thoughts or themes in mind when he began creating the songs for Guitar Slinger. Instead, he just let his creativity flow. "I had no expectations of what it would sound like in my home studio," he says. "I've never recorded in my house before. So I discovered an awful lot about how the rooms sound, and it's a real warm record.

"I don't know what it is, but it's so different than most studios in that there are windows all the way around the room. You look out and see trees. There's such a great spirit running around in the house and in the rooms that all the musicians have raved about the vibe. It's real low key; it's not commercial-feeling at all."

Guitar Slinger epitomizes coming home for Gill for several reasons. Not only did he record in his home, but he is joined on the album by his wife, Amy Grant, and their daughters Jenny, Sarah and Corrina. "Corrina makes her debut at nine on this record in a very dark song," he says of "Billy Paul." "It's a song about a friend of mine who took his life after he took someone else's life. It's very, very dark, but I love that in music. I was always drawn to music with those kinds of things."

Despite his unbelievably pure tenor voice and his jaw-dropping guitar playing, Gill always keeps the song first and foremost in his focus. "All I ever want to be is honest, truthful and authentic," he says. "The thing I've learned as a musician, record producer and part of a cast that does what it is that we do is that the most important thing is to serve the song. It's not to show off and play the most you can play or sing the most you can sing. It's all in how do you serve this song the best and what keeps the song the real focal point of what you're doing."

Gill has sold more than 26 million albums, won 20 Grammys and 18 CMA Awards, including Entertainer of the Year twice. He has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In recent months, the congenially collaborative Gill has jammed with rocker Alice Cooper at a Nashville Predators game, backed Keb Mo, Crystal Bowersox and Sarah Darling on their individual Grand Ole Opry debuts and recorded with the Blind Boys of Alabama and blues guitarist and singer Joe Bonnamassa. He recently appeared on the CBS-TV tribute special Girls' Night Out: Superstar Women of Country. His duet with Carrie Underwood of "How Great Thou Art" has been viewed on YouTube by more than 6 million people.

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VINCE GILL WILL RECEIVE STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME IN 2012

 TWO-TIME HALL OF FAMER JOINS JENNIFER ANISTON, RICHARD BURTON, HEART AND HAL DAVID ON LIST OF 2012 INDUCTEES

 NASHVILLE, TN -- Next year, country music superstar Vince Gill will add a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to his list of honors that includes inductions into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The Walk of Fame honorees for 2012 include actors Jennifer Aniston, Richard Burton, Kate Winslet, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Lopez and Adam West, music legends Barry White, Hal David and David Foster, the band Heart and cartoonist Matt Groening.

This will be his family's second star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His wife, singer/songwriter/author Amy Grant, received a star in 2006.

Gill moved to Los Angeles when he was 19 and lived there from 1976 until 1983. "It was one of the best times in my life," he says. "I have a great fondness for it.

"When I lived out there, I was such a young person that I hadn't really accomplished much of anything," he says. "So even the thought of one day having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was preposterous. It was silly. It wasn't even in the realm of my thinking.

"I walked up and down Hollywood Boulevard and said, 'There is so-and-so.' I never thought for one second, 'I will have one of these one day.'

"Amy has one out there, which is really neat. I got to go out there and experience that with her. When I found out that I would be getting one too, I said, 'If you could just put it next to Amy's that would be awesome.'"

When Gill moved to Los Angeles, he quickly discovered that he was surrounded by many of the musicians he had admired while growing up in Oklahoma City, Okla. "The most amazing thing was that it seemed to me that everybody I was really nuts about was out there," he says. "It was mind-numbing to me who I could go hear play. Those guys I had seen on the back of record jackets were playing in the clubs."

The first time he performed in Los Angeles was at the Troubadour. He played in Sundance, a bluegrass group fronted by Byron Berline that opened for Guy Clark. "It turns out Emmylou Harris was there, and Rodney Crowell and Guy Clark," he says,

"all of these people that I had no idea how they would shape my future. There they were right off the bat, and we hit it off. I don't think I could have found a better place to go at that age. It would have been a much better situation for me than coming to Nashville at that time. It was really an amazing place to be."

Gill first began writing songs while living in Los Angeles. "I was a seriously struggling musician, so I was also out there playing on the Redondo Beach for tips and borrowing cars to get around in and first getting my feet under me," he says. "The scale of that place was so much bigger than anything I could have ever imagined - miles and miles of people and freeways and oceans and mountains. It was insane. I had never been to a place that big.

"It was a wild time, I assure you," he says. "I couldn't believe that there was that much stuff going on and that many people. At 19, you are wide-eyed and yet to see much of anything. It was a wonderful experience and I am grateful for that stretch of time. It really puts you in your place in a humbling way. You thought you were a pretty good musician and go out there and then say, 'Gee whiz, everybody in every bar and club and studio is pretty amazing.'"

In 1979, Gill joined Pure Prairie League as the lead singer and recorded three albums with the band, the first of which produced the 1980 hit "Let Me Love You Tonight."  After leaving the band in 1981, he joined Rodney Crowell's band, the Cherry Bombs, where he worked with Tony Brown and Emory Gordy Jr., who would become his producers.

In 1983, he signed with RCA Records and moved to Nashville. He released his debut album the following year. His debut mini-album Turn Me Loose (produced by Gordy) was released the following year, featuring his first charting solo single, "Victim of Life's Circumstance." The Things That Matter, his first full album, was released later that year, featuring two Top 10 hits: a duet with Rosanne Cash on "If It Weren't For Him" and a solo hit with "Oklahoma Borderline." In 1987 he achieved his first Top 5 single, "Cinderella," from his album The Way Back Home. In addition to his solo career, he also worked frequently as a studio musician, wrote songs for other artists and toured with Emmylou Harris.

He signed with MCA Records in 1989 and reunited with Brown as a producer. His first MCA album, When I Call Your Name, established him as a force in country music and helped him nab his first Country Music Association trophy (Single of the Year) and Grammy (Best Male Country Vocal Performance). The hits and awards kept coming, and they haven't stopped since. The two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year is the only person to ever win five consecutive CMA Male Vocalist of the Year awards and the only songwriter to win Song of the Year four times for "When I Call Your Name," "Look At Us," "I Still Believe in You" and "Go Rest High On That Mountain."

Gill has sold more than 26 million albums and won 20 Grammys and 18 CMA Awards. He has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Later this summer, he will release "Threaten Me With Heaven," his first new single in four years. This will be the debut single from his new album, Guitar Slinger, which