Vince Gill Recalls Being “Too Bashful to Sing” and the Moment He Realized His Voice Was Special

Vince Gill is hailed as one of the best singers and guitarists in country music today. One only needs to press “play” on one of his albums to hear his impressive vocal range. However, that wasn’t always the case. Long before he became the artist he is today, Gill had no interest in stepping up to the mic.

When he started his musical career, Gill was happy to let his instrument do all of the talking. However, as his time in the music business went on, he found his singing voice. In an interview with Vulture, Gill revealed that he became a singer out of necessity.

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Vince Gill Was “Too Bashful” to Sing

During his conversation with the publication, Vince Gill looked back on the early days of his career. At one point, he revealed how he became a singer. “For the longest time, I was too bashful to sing,” he recalled. Early in his career, though, he didn’t need to sing. “I could always hide behind my guitar, keep my head down, and duck any attention that was coming my way,” he added.

However, things started to change as he joined different bands. “I wound up being in bands where I was the guy who could sing better than everybody else. I became a singer not so much intentionally but by default,”: he explained. “I was fine being just a guy in the band, whether I was the lead singer, the harmony singer, the sideman—whatever role I had, I just enjoyed the process,” Gill added.

“Little by little, I found myself wanting to become an artist. I started wanting to write my own songs,” he said of the moment he realized his voice was special. “The cool thing about being a writer as well as a musician is that I can tailor-make melodies in my writing that suit my voice. I guess I was meant to sing and play, but I honestly feel like I sing like a musician. When I’m playing, I say, ‘Okay, how could I sing what I’m about to play?’”

Featured Image by S. Bukley