Vince Gill has spent his entire life writing and creating. By now, the Country Music Hall of Fame member could easily say he knows more than most when it comes to crafting a song, earning the right to be selective in who he sits down with in a writing room.
Fortunately, Gill is still excited and eager about writing with other songwriters, especially ones from the generation behind him.
“I’ve written with HARDY and I think he’s one of the best songwriters coming out,” the 66-year-old shared at a recent media event. “I’ve got a date on the books to maybe write with Ernest, Tenille Townes, a lot of kids. Kameron Marlowe‘s a killer singer. I’m wide open. I never am gonna quit being creative. And I’m not worried if anybody listens to it, if anybody cuts it. None of that stuff matters to me. I think there are a lot of kids out there that have a lot to say, and are worthwhile in what they’re doing.”
Gill is aware of the traditionalists who decry the current state of country music, even if he believes their arguments are largely unfounded.
“There was a period of time where I’m sure a lot of my songs weren’t George Jones’ cup of tea, or Merle Haggard’s cup of tea,” Gill acknowledges. “Some of tthem weren’t. And there are a lot of kids today that some of them are, and some of them aren’t. It’s okay. It’s not personal. It’s never been personal. I cheer them on. So I’m having a ball with all these kids.”
Gill definitely isn’t done making music on his own, or with other people. The Oklahoma native just released “Danny Boy” with Paul Franklin, from their forthcoming collaborative Sweet Memories: The Music of Ray Price & The Cherokee Cowboys album. He also says he has a lot of songs ready to go for his next project, even though he is still uncertain what that will look like right now.
“I only have so much time left,” Gill shares. “I gotta get busy. I don’t want to leave the world with a bunch of unfinished thoughts, a bunch of unfinished songs and whatnot. At this day and age, I’m trying to figure out what I should do, what I could do. I’ve written probably close to 100 new songs, and I like them. I don’t want to see them just buried in a desk drawer somewhere where I may get to them in 20 years.
“I may not be able to draw a breath and hold a note and sing as well as I do in ten or 15 years as I do today,” he adds. “So I don’t want to wait until I passed it. So I may record the majority of this stuff I’ve done and just have this kind of treasure trove full of creativity.”
Gill’s upcoming schedule 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 his wife, Amy Grant. Find music and tour dates at VinceGill.com.
