Country singer Vince Gill has been making hit records for more than 20 years. During that time, he has sold over 33 million albums and won more Grammy Awards and Country Music Association honors than any other Country artist. His latest release is his most-ambitious ever. VOA's Mary Morningstar tells us about Vince Gill's box set, These Days.
Vince Gill's new box set, These Days, contains 43 original songs that he began recording in late-2005. The idea for the multi-album collection came during his recording sessions at Nashville's Blackbird Studios. Vince saw Beatles memorabilia on the wall that reminded him of when the legendary group had put out several albums in a single year. His record company took the idea a step further by suggesting they release all the material as a box set.
"I am as passionate today as I have ever been about playing music … my wish is for everybody to come along on this journey and really get the opportunity to see what I'm doing," he said. "I'm still moved by music, and wish others to be as well."
The four albums showcase his love for many different musical styles. Vince explains the themes of each disc.
"The rocking record features my guitar playing a lot, the ballad record is good for the bedroom, the Country and Western record is just great old-time Country music and the acoustic record is a bunch of bluegrass, folk songs, Americana," he said. "So, it's a little bit of everything."
"Sweet Little Corrina," featuring harmony vocals by The Everly Brothers' Phil Everly, is a song Vince wrote for his five-year-old daughter. He also included a track called "Sweet Augusta Darlin'," which honors his wife, gospel/pop singer Amy Grant, who was raised in Augusta, Georgia.
Amy is one of the many singers Vince invited to join him in the recording studio. Others include Trisha Yearwood, Bonnie Raitt, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless and Sheryl Crow.
"I'm not ever trying to fill up my records with famous people," Gill said. "I try to fill them up with the most-talented people I can find on the face of the earth."
It took only five weeks for These Days to be certified gold in the U.S. for shipments of more than 500,000 copies. The first single released from the set is a ballad Vince Gill wrote with Nashville songwriter Gary Nicholson, "The Reason Why."
