Remember When Vince Gill Joined the Grand Ole Opry?
Vince Gill is one of the most-awarded and legendary artists in country music history, and he was just a few years into his country career when he was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry in 1991.
Gill got his start in a bluegrass group called Boone's Creek, which also featured a then-little-known picker named Ricky Skaggs. He graduated to a stint in Rodney Crowell's Cherry Bombs before accepting a gig as the lead singer of Pure Prairie League, where he scored his first hit single with "Let Me Love You Tonight" in 1980.
By 1984, Gill was in Nashville pursuing a career as a country solo artist, unsuccessfully at first. It wasn't until his third album — 1989's When I Call Your Name — that he was launched as one of the leading lights in country music. That album scored hits including "Never Alone," "Oklahoma Swing," "When I Call your Name" and "Never Knew Lonely," and Gill's follow-up album, Pocket Full of Gold, further established him as a rising superstar.
Gill was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on Aug. 10, 1991, not long after the release of Pocket Full of Gold. He tearfully sang "When I Call Your Name" during his induction, and he says his Opry membership has been one of the most treasured aspects of his career.
"The opportunity to sit and have Roy Acuff tell me war stories from 40 or 50 years ago on the road was priceless," Gill tells MTV. "To grieve with people, to grieve with their families, to sing a little bit with Jimmy Dickens, to record some with Hank Locklin, to sit around and talk golf with Charlie Walker and to write a song or two with Bill Anderson — that's what being there has brought me."
He has since gone on to win virtually every music award imaginable, and Gill was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007. In an unexpected move, Gill joined the new lineup of the Eagles in 2017 when the group played its first shows after the death of Glenn Frey, along with Frey's son, Deacon. He continues to tour with the group on the road in addition to his solo career.
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