Vince Gill Shares Heartfelt Stories About His Late Dad as He Performs a Tribute to Him at the Grand Ole Opry

Vince Gill is reminiscing on some of his fondest memories of his dad. The country star recently marked the 35th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and the institution celebrated the occasion with a special show.

After Ricky Skaggs, Amy Grant, Charlie Worsham, and Patty Loveless took the stage, Gill stepped out for his set, which began with a tribute to his father, Stan Gill, who died in 1997.

Gill started off by explaining that, in honor of the special night, he wanted to sing “songs that mean the most to me.” It’s no surprise that “The Key to Life,” a song Gill penned after his dad’s death, fit that bill.

“My old man was a piece of work. Golly, was he something,” Gill recalled. “He used to smoke a lot. All the time. Living with him was like being in a pool hall. It was constant smoke everywhere. It just hung everywhere. He’d have that cigarette lit and he’d look at me and say, ‘Don’t make me come over there. I’ll give you something to cry about.’”

Despite the ribbing, Gill said that “nobody was prouder of me than my old man.”

“He showed me a few chords when I was a little boy. I’ll never forget it,” he said. “I was always interested, because he played the banjo and played the guitar a little bit. In my mind, he was Chad Atkins and Earl Scruggs rolled up in one man, but come to find out, he wasn’t very good at all. He sat me down and showed me a G chord, a C chord, and a D chord, and he lit up a cigarette. He goes, ‘Well, that’s all I know. You’re on your own.’”

Vince Gill Reflects on His Relationship With His Late Dad

Gill went on to recall his dad telling him he “finally made it” after he performed “May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose” with Little Jimmy Dickens at the Grand Ole Opry. He also opened up about his dad’s love for Dolly Parton.

“When I was a kid, we watched every country music show that was on TV… It was Porter [Wagoner] and Dolly or it was the Buck Owens show. It didn’t matter. We watched them all,” Gill said. “One day me and my old man were jamming, playing some songs. And I said, ‘Hey, Dad, let’s do a Porter Wagoner song.’ And he goes, ‘I don’t know any Porter Wagoner songs.’ I said, ‘Of course you do. We watched him every weekend.’ He goes, ‘You did. I was checking out Dolly.’”

Gill also spoke about how his dad kept him humble. He pointed to one phone call in particular that came the morning after he hosted the CMA Awards.

“I’d had a big night and had won a couple of awards. I stayed up real late partying, having a big time at the after parties,” Gill said. “My old man decided to call me at about seven in the morning before he’d gone to work. I was dead to the world. I picked up the phone and said, ‘Hello, hello.’ I hear, ‘Who in the hell do you think you are?’ I said, ‘What are you talking about?’ He goes, ‘Listen, pal. I watched you last night and you’re no Jay Leno.’”

Vince Gill Wows the Opry Crowd With His Latest Set

Before he jumped into the song, Gill ended his reflections by stating, “If it hadn’t been for that old man teaching me them three chords, I don’t know what in the hell would have happened. I’m going to sing this one for my old man tonight.”

The crowd was, predictably, blown away by the performance, a sentiment that only increased as Gill continued his set. He performed “Whenever You Come Around,” a song he wrote after meeting Grant, his wife of 26 years.

Next, Gill debuted a new song, “50 Years From Home,” which will appear on his forthcoming EP. The audience was impressed by the track, so much so that they gave him a lengthy standing ovation after the performance.

Gill then teamed up with Patty Loveless to perform their 1998 duet, “My Kind of Woman – My Kind of Man.” The night ended with Gill performing his signature song, “Go Rest High On That Mountain” alongside all of the night’s artists.

Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images

The post Vince Gill Shares Heartfelt Stories About His Late Dad as He Performs a Tribute to Him at the Grand Ole Opry appeared first on American Songwriter.