ShareThisBy RONNA RUBIN
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Vince Gill has fans in high places and he credits one such fan as the impetus behind "These Days," a 4-CD, 43-song collection of original compositions written or co-written by him.
"I got an invitation from Eric Clapton to come and play at his Crossroads Guitar Festival (a one-time gathering of master guitarists) a few years back. He said he was inviting his favorite guitar players," Gill says. "At the time I was kind of struggling with my place in this world and in the musical world and I can't even describe the feeling I got from that phone call. It re-inspired me, it reinvented me and it did so many things to my confidence. More than anything, it made me feel like a musician again."
Gill launches a major media campaign to promote his latest project including stops at GAC's "Master Series," Oct. 18, 10 a.m., EDT, PDT, "GAC Nights," Oct. 17, 8 p.m., EDT/PDT, and "Grand Ole Opry Live," Saturday, Oct. 14, 8 p.m., EDT/PDT.
The artist best known for his sharp musicianship and high lonesome vocals did not set out to create a collection of such epic proportions. "I got started on this record and realized I had no deadlines so to speak of and realized early on that 11 songs (a typical CD song count) wasn't going to get it done for me," the 49-year-old remembers. "So I kept recording all these different songs with no agenda at all other than to see how these songs would turn out. "Six weeks later I'd recorded 31 songs and thought 'Oh, now I've done it ... I've got to get rid of 65 percent of this stuff that I'm crazy about."
He thought about the possibility of categorizing the songs: grouping 10 as a rocking country album, 10 as an acoustic album, 10 as a ballad album and 10 as a traditional country album. While the label loved this non-traditional notion, the question remained: Which batch of songs should come first?
Label head Luke Lewis presented an even more radical strategy: record one more set of songs and release all four in a single package. It was thought that, collectively, the release would illustrate the breadth of Gill's talents. "In a sense, this project has really encompassed my whole life. My favorite people that I've ever played music with since I was 17-years-old are on it," Gill says. "It represents what I've tried to accomplish and learn in the last 30-some years."
Each record explores a different musical genre and mood and Gill, the producer, cast each individual song with the musicians and vocalists he felt best suited the material. Some of the artists providing guest vocals include Sheryl Crow, Diana Krall, Bonnie Raitt, Gretchen Wilson, Trisha Yearwood, Alison Krauss, Michael McDonald, Rodney Crowell, Del McCoury, wife Amy Grant and daughter Jenny Gill.
In naming each disc, Gill used a song title from each collection: "Workin' On A Big Chill" is the rocking record; "The Reason Why" is the groovy record because of the "nasty grooves;" "Some Things Never Get Old" is the country and western record ("I miss the fact that they don't call country music country & western music anymore"), and "Little Brother" is the acoustic record. "This is unique to me in that all of these records kind of fit in their own place."
Gill begins a six-week tour later this month and, in a grand style appropriate for this size of an undertaking, will be taking 18 musicians on the road. "I've decided that in order to incorporate all this music, I need four bands so I'm taking a horn section, a bluegrass band, my regular band and a few extra singers. I don't have a clue how this is going to turn out as it's unlike anything I've ever done. I figure that with that much talent on stage, there's bound to be something you like," the affable singer says.
Looking back on the nearly one year it took to complete the project, Gill points to what he's most proud of: "The great thing to me about all of this is that whatever song it is sitting on whichever record, it's honest and authentic. There was never an attempt to skew something to make it fit somewhere."
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This week's GACtv.com Country Q & A comes from Angie in Beckley, W.V.:
Q: I was watching the video of Lonestar's song "No News" and thought that I saw John Rich of Big & Rich. Is that John?
A: That is John Rich. In 1995 John was one of the founding members of Lonestar when they were signed by BNA Entertainment. At that time both John and Richie McDonald were singing lead vocals on some songs. But, after recording two albums with the group, their management and record label told John they planned to focus only on Richie for lead vocals. So in 1998 John Rich quit the group to concentrate on his writing and, hopefully, launch a solo career. Judging from his success in songwriting, producing and, as one half of the duo Big & Rich, it was a wise decision.
(Ronna Rubin, a 21-year veteran of the music industry, can be contacted at ronna(at)gacmusicbeat.com. Log on to GACtv.com for more information about your favorite artists.)
Vince Gill's touring schedule:
Oct. 16, Nokia Theatre on Times Square, New York
Oct. 19, Mechanics Hall, Worcester, Mass.
Oct. 20, Keswick Theatre, Glenside, Pa.
Oct. 21, Fox Theatre, Detroit, Mich.
Oct. 23, Palace Theatre, Columbus, Ohio
Oct. 24, Whitney Hall, Louisville, Ky.
Oct. 25, Morris Performing Arts Center, South Bend, Ind.
Oct. 26, Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee, Wis.
Oct. 27, O'Shaughnessy Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minn.
Oct. 28, Chicago Theatre, Chicago
Oct. 30, Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas
Oct. 31, Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville, Ark.
Nov. 2, Saenger Theatre, Mobile, Ala.
Nov. 3, Gwinnett Center, Duluth, Ga.
Nov. 4, Ovens Auditorium, Charlotte, N.C.
Nov. 8, Arts Center, Mesa, Ariz.
Nov. 11, California Center for the Arts, Escondido, Calif.
Nov. 12, The Wiltern, Los Angeles
Nov. 14, Fox Theater, Bakersfield, Calif.
Nov. 16, Paramount Theatre, Seattle
Nov. 17, Roseland Theater, Portland, Ore.
Nov. 18, INB Performing Arts Center, Spokane, Wash.
Nov. 20, Abravanel Hall, Salt Lake City
Nov. 21, Paramount Theatre, Denver
Nov. 7, 8 & 9, Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas
