Don Henley on Why He Hired This Musician for Eagles: “He Knows How To Be in a Band”

There are a lot of individual ingredients that go into being a commercially successful musician. Talent is definitely one. Luck is another. Money is certainly in there somewhere. But for Vince Gill, he landed one of his most impressive gigs late in his career, not because of his talent, luck, or money. According to Eagles bandmate Don Henley, they hired Gill to replace Glenn Frey for one reason.

“Because he knows how to be in a band,” Henley said, per Gill in an interview on Q With Tom Power. “That was high praise.” Gill added, “I didn’t need the limelight, I didn’t need the spotlight, I didn’t need to be featured. No preferential treatment, and he likes that I’m normal.”

So normal, in fact, that Gill wasn’t afraid to razz Henley when Eagles’ drummer brought up the rumors that the two men weren’t getting along. This same rumor mill suggested Henley had plans to fire Gill for Jackson Browne. Gill replied, “‘Dude, you can’t fire me. You can only free me.’ He started laughing. He goes, ‘Man, you’re funny.’”

Don Henley Had More Praise for Vince Gill Than Just That

From a musician’s perspective, Don Henley doesn’t need to elaborate on his compliment to Vince Gill. Knowing how to be in a band is one of the hardest things about being in one. It’s hard to teach someone who isn’t willing to learn, and it’s hard to work with them if they don’t. This applies to virtually all aspects of life, too. Being a team player is important. Not everyone can be the star all the time. There are no small parts, only small actors, yadda yadda yadda.

Still, in other interviews, Eagles drummer Don Henley offered even more praise for his new bandmate. “Vince is a real dream to work with,” he told SiriusXM (via Guitar World). “He can play anything, he can sing anything, he’s got a great personality. Always laughing and joking.” Earlier in the conversation, Henley said, “Vince Gill, of course, is one of the best musicians in the world. He’s the only guy who could have filled [Glenn Frey’s] space.”

Gill officially joined Eagles in 2017 following Frey’s death the previous year. The “Whenever You Come Around” singer was joined by Frey’s son, Deacon. “It took two guys to replace Glenn,” Henley said of Deacon and Gill. “Those are the only two guys in the world, I think, that could have done it.”

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