At its heart, a good marriage is a partnership. Ideally, both halves of the relationship do what they can to bring out the best in their partner. This is as true with the average couple as with Vince Gill and Amy Grant. The public doesn’t get to see much of their seemingly loving marriage. However, every partnership translates to a musical union every year when they take over the Ryman Auditorium for their annual Christmas residency.
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Recently, Grant and Gill sat down with American Songwriter to discuss their new album When I Think of Christmas, their Ryman residencies, and more. During the conversation, the couple revealed how they bring out the best in one another and lean on their strengths to create the best show possible.
How Amy Grant and Vince Gill Work Together to Make Holiday Magic
Amy Grant revealed that she believed that Vince Gill wasn’t as fond of their annual Ryman residencies as she is. “Last year, I said, ‘Thank you for doing this for me,’” She recalled. “He said, ‘Amy, I’ve come to love it, too,’” she added.
Gill has long been open about the fact that he does the shows for Grant. However, it isn’t because he lacks holiday spirit or doesn’t enjoy the songs. Instead, it is because they do largely the same show every year. “He doesn’t like to do the same set list twice in a row. But now he’s got seven years of experience. “She likes it a lot. Me, not so much and that’s fair,” Gill said. So, as with any good marriage, there’s some compromise.
Gill and Grant also lean on one another to create a great show because their strengths lie in different areas. Last year, Gill couldn’t make it to any of the Christmas rehearsals. As a result, Grant assembled the setlist alone. When they were finally able to run through the show together, Gill made some changes.
“I went, ‘Yeah, it wasn’t happening, was it?’” Grant recalled. “He’s thinking temp and key. I’m always thinking storyline. So, in my mind, it’s the lyric arc, and in his, it’s musically where it goes. I think it’s a nice combo,” she added. After going through the new setlist, Grant joked that she was “lame” without her other half.
“Our strengths lie in different places. I’m not sure how we fell into this, but I’m glad we did,” Grant said of their marriage and musical partnership.
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