Conversations about country music’s best guitarists need to include Vince Gill.
Sure, there are a few other living legends worthy of consideration, but nobody has been so good for so long.
The 68-year-old is a humble genius and we’ve found proof. It might be a solo from “Oklahoma Borderline” or a cover with famous friends, but it’s always clean and original. Gill is a meticulous guitar picker in age of louder-the-better guitar playing.
He’s a tactician with an unrivaled ear and understanding of great music is made.
Recently we polled our YouTube audience on this topic, asking who the best living guitar player is. While the results were very close, one man stood out.
After 3,500 votes, Gill was in the lead with 36 percent of the vote. Keith Urban came next, and then it was Brad Paisley and Steve Wariner.
Ricky Skaggs and Dwight Yoakam were popular write-in candidates and several people remembered the late Glen Campbell as the GOAT. Here are the results as of Monday morning (Sept. 13).
YouTube/TasteofCountryMusic
The good news for Gill fans is he’s not slowing down. Recently, he announced he’d signed a lifelong contact with MCA Records, his longtime label home. That partnership will begin bearing new fruit as soon as Oct. 17.
I Gave You Everything I Had is the first of many EPs coming as part of his 50 Years From Home series. Expect more music from the vault over the next 12 months. These songs will showcase his songwriting, singing and (hopefully) guitar playing.
20 Best Guitarists in Country Music
The six-string wizards in our Best Guitarists in Country Music list all have their different ways of using the instrument to touch the hearts and souls of country music fans everywhere.
Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker
Enjoy 22 Pictures of Vince Gill Young
Vince Gill started his solo career in Nashville in the early 1980s. Since then, he has recorded more than 20 studio albums, charted more than 40 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and sold more than 26 million albums. When it comes to winning awards, Gill is no slouch, either — he has won 22 Grammys and 18 CMAs lifetime. In 2007, Gill was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Let’s take a look back at 22 pictures of Vince Gill young.
Gallery Credit: Evan Paul
