- Country music artist born in 1957 in Norman OK.
- He learned to play instruments at an early age, playing banjo, bass, guitar, mandolin, dobro and fiddle. By high school, he was playing in a bluegrass band. After high school, he moved to Louisville and then to Los Angeles, playing in various bluegrass bands.
- In 1978, he auditioned and joined the established country rock band Pure Prairie League. He appeared in the band’s last 3 albums, writing all of the songs, and was the lead singer on their biggest hit, Let Me Love You Tonight.
- He was invited by Mark Knopfler to join Dire Straits to play guitar, but declined. Instead, he joined The Cherry Bombs for several years. He subsequently started his solo career, and became a major success in country music.
- He has released 18 studio albums, with 74 singles, 5 of which reached #1 on the U.S. Hot Country chart – I Still Believe In You, Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away, One More Last Chance, Tryin’ To Get Over You, and The Heart Won’t Lie (with Reba McIntyre). Nearly every single released by Gill in the 90s hit the top 10 list.
- In 2017, Gill joined The Eagles for concerts at Dodger Stadium on July 15 and 16, and at Citi Field in NYC on July 29 and 30, replacing the late Glenn Frye. Wow – that’s a testament to what a star Gill really is, even today.
- Gill has won 22 Grammy awards in country music categories over his career. His win in 2017 was for his song Kid Sister, recorded by The Time Jumpers, in the category Best American Roots Song. Gill joined The Time Jumpers in 2010. His win in 2021 was for Best Country Solo Performance for When My Amy Prays – a song about his wife, Christian music artist Amy Grant (see my May 3, 2017 post on Grant).
- Gill’s music is traditional to old country music, often a slow easy going ballad, featuring his high tenor voice. Here is his hit I Still Believe in You.