Vince Gill loves being a dad and stepdad, but he really loves being a grandfather. The 66-year-old says time with the grandchildren he has is precious, and takes precedence over anything else in his busy life and career.
“Those grandkids are the complete light of my life. They just show up and the rest of the world can kiss my you-know-what,” Gill says with a laugh. “I say, ‘We’re just gonna go swing in the backyard; we’re gonna wrestle on the bed; we’re gonna eat those Goldfish [crackers]. And nothing else seems to matter.”
Gill, who shares a combined family of five children with his wife, Amy Grant, also enjoys watching his daughter, Jenny Gill, take on the role of a parent to her two young children.
“I think what I love seeing, more than anything, for my kid to finally understand what it means to love,” Gill shares. “It’s awesome to see my kid finally get it, what that unconditional love really looks like and feels like.”
Gill recently praised his youngest daughter, Corrina, for pursuing her own path in music — without help from her legendary father.
“I just love that she’s finding her own way,” the Country Music Hall of Fame member says (via Taste of Country). “I’m always here with advice if she wants it. Occasionally she does, but it’s very seldom, and it’s fun to watch her figure it out. It’s fun for her to make connections with the people she makes connections with, who she’s chosen to make a record with and all that.”
“She’s a smart kid,” he adds. “She’s all about it. I would’ve given anything if I could sing as good as she does now — when I was 22, I didn’t sing that good.”
Gill spent the first part of the year on the road with the Eagles, a band he joined in 2017, after the passing of founding member Glenn Frey.
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity and a good hang,” Gill told Variety of the invitation to join the iconic rock band. “Everything about it is something I just can’t even believe it’s happened, and I’m grateful for it every time I get to go up there and continue to be a part of keeping that song catalog going. It’s an amazing accomplishment Don [Henley] and Glenn and Joe [Walsh] and Timothy [B. Schmit] and all those guys made, and all the former guys that played — Randy, Don [Felder] and Bernie [Leadon].
“I would have never believed that that would happen, and sadly it only did because of a tragedy and losing Glenn,” he added. “I’ve got a really healthy perspective of it, and I know I had nothing to do with any of it other than from this day forward. So I can’t get the big head about it.”
Gill’s upcoming shows include two back-to-back performances at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival in Los Angeles, and his holiday Christmas At the Ryman residency with Grant. Find music and tour dates at VinceGill.com.
