I WANT TO BE VINCE GILL
As I start to let my mind wander down whatever path it chooses for this entry, I am giving my first listen to Shelby Lynne's brand new music, Revelation Road. How can you buy it before you listen to it? you ask. Well, it's Shelby and I like her music...on some level I identify...maybe it's the Mobile connection, the Alabama connection, or the brief encounter I had with her late one Fat Tuesday night at a bar in Mobile. 'Restless' is still one of my favorite cd's, but hell, they're all good, and all have their own direction. I'm on song 3, and I like the laid back, quiet, simple production/arrangements...could be pickin' at lakelizardmusic studios. Take one Shelby...
Let's talk about Vince Gill...don't you hate Vince Gill? Well no, he seems like a nice enough guy. I actually met him years ago, but back then seems kind of like a whirlwind now...there was a Thursday night gathering at the Station Inn loosely organized as 'Crucial Country' and all sorts of folks used to show up there. I think Vince was fairly new in town at the time, and it was the place to be...for a sideline watcher/frustrated songwriter/picker like me, it was the place to be. A place to meet and talk to songwriters, musicians, newcomers and legends...and hear always interesting music. This was I guess the early 80's...Peter Rowan always seemed to be the ringleader..."Pull over Pete"...guess I saw them too much, I still remember that story he told about working with Bill Monroe...who was there more than once...who else?...John Hartford, Mark O'Connor, Jerry Douglas (known then as Flux), Norman Blake, Ricky Skaggs, Doug Dillard, Roland White, John McKuen...just a few of the folks I can remember in and around that time...George Benson?...yeah, I know, I wouldn't believe it either. And the cool thing if you've never been in the Station Inn, or at least back then, the people on the stage were the people in the audience and enjoyed talking and hanging out with you.
Let's see, I'm rambling, oh yeah, that damn Vince Gill. Anyway, Vince turns out to have a 'somewhat' successful career...just kidding of course, he's got THE career. Hell, he's got THE talent...writin', singin', pickin'...does it all. Sumbitch even plays golf well and is mostly politically correct, or seems to be. Married to Amy Grant with seemingly endless happiness, mixing family and career...
And this brings me to the point of this ramblin' road and where I was headed to start with...this is why I hate/want to be Vince Gill...not for any of the above reasons, but for this: I just bought Johnny Winter's new cd, 'cause well, it's Johnny Winter's new cd, and Johnny hardly ever lets me down. And who the hell is playing on here with Johnny Winter?--you guessed it Vince Gill...with Johnny Winter. Lucky bastard! And this made me remember a couple of years ago when I saw Vince get up at the Belcourt and jam with Robben Ford. Lucky Bastard! Now Vince can hold his own on the guitar, but I wonder how it feels to him to be playing with these guys...what a great thing. Does he say, "Sumbitch, I am jamming with Johnny Winter?" Does he wake up and say, "wonder which one of my guitar heroes/legends I'll jam with today after breakfast at the Pancake Pantry?" Just wondering Vince...you lucky bastard...enjoy the ride!
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