Vince Gill has proven that he's more than a soft rocker or a bluegrasser. Judging by his past decade of wielding guitars with the Eagles, versatility is Gill's trump card.
“Whatever you’re walking into, you try to be authentic,” Gill tells Guitar World in a new interview.
“More than anything, that’s what I’ve strived to accomplish. You’re trying to fill up space with the right sound, just like a painter with the right colors. I’m doing the same thing with guitars.”
Article continues belowFollowing the death of the sorely missed Glenn Frey in 2016, the remaining Eagles asked Gill to join the band. As an avid fan of both the band and Frey's solo material, Gill realized he had big shoes to fill – but it quickly led with his ethos.
“My ears have taught and shown me how to be authentic,” he says matter-of-factly. “You don’t have to play one way. You can play in all kinds of ways if you want to.
“I remember early on in the process of playing with the Eagles, as we were playing Rocky Mountain Way, I was just rippin’ these power chords for Joe,” he laughs.
“Well, Don Henley’s looking at me like I’m crazy, and finally I said, ‘What?’ He goes, ‘I thought you were a bluegrasser…’ I said, ‘Well, I am. But I’ve played a good bit of this stuff, too.’ I’ve always prided myself on being a chameleon.”
Gill goes on to say that he knew the role he was expected to fulfill when he joined the band, and it was always a case of “trying to authentically replicate those records, and solos, and the way Glenn sang those songs.
“I’m just doing the job expected of me,” he concludes.
