Country music veteran Vince Gill joins an elite slate of nominees on the Grammy ballot for "Album of the Year" for his four-CD set These Days. The 43-song box-set (of all new material) features a variety of guest artists, including Sheryl Crow, Michael McDonald, Emmylou Harris, Amy Grant, Bonnie Raitt and Leann Rimes, just to name a few. Vince Gill is the first major artist to release a four-CD set consisting entirely of new studio recordings of previously unreleased material. His musical boldness has earned him a Grammy nomination amongst a diverse field, including Amy Winehouse, Kanye West, Herbie Hancock and the Foo Fighters.

These Days builds on the success of one of the most accomplished Country artists of all time. Gill has sold more than 22 million albums and earned 18 CMA awards, including "Entertainer of the Year" in 1993 and 1994. He is tied with George Strait for having won the most CMA Male Vocalist Awards and is currently second only to Brooks and Dunn for accumulating the most CMA Awards in history. These Days reaffirms Gill's place as one of the most authentic, creative and bold artists of all time.

Gill released the groundbreaking album, These Days, in 2006. Each CD of the album explores a different musical mood – uptempo blues rock; R&B, jazz and country ballads; contemporary and traditional country; and acoustic and bluegrass music. For much of the inspiration, he credits Eric Clapton, who extended an invitation to Gill to participate in the 2004 "Crossroads Guitar Festival" in Dallas, Texas, an experience motivated Gill. He described Clapton's invitation as "a big, life-changing thing, [which] inspired [me] to go play again."

From childhood to this month's Grammy nomination announcement, Vince Gill is one of the most accomplished artists ever. His career - littered with awards, classic records and groundbreaking collaborations and duets - started when the Oklahoma-born musician picked up the guitar and banjo, while also mastering bass, mandolin, dobro and fiddle, when he was just a young boy. While in high school, Gill performed in the bluegrass band Mountain Smoke, which opened a concert for Pure Prairie League. Gill moved to Louisville, Kentucky after high school to join the band Bluegrass Alliance. His next stop was Los Angeles, where he joined the bluegrass band Sundance and in 1979, Vince joined Pure Prairie League as lead singer and recorded three albums with the band, the first of which yielded the Top Ten pop hit "Let Me Love You Tonight" in 1980.

In 1983 Gill signed with RCA Records and moved to Nashville to pursue his dream of being a Country Music artist. His debut mini-album Turn Me Loose was released the following year, featuring his first charting solo single "Victim of Life's Circumstance." His first full album, The Things That Matter, was released later that year.

Gill signed with MCA Records in 1989 and released the album When I Call Your Name. The album featured the debut single “Oklahoma Swing,” which peaked at number two and earned Gill his first CMA Award (Single of the Year) and his first Grammy Award (Best Male Country Vocal Performance) in 1990.

Gill went on to record Pocket Full of Gold, which also became a Platinum certified album after it was released in 1991. That same year he earned his first CMA Vocal Event of the Year Award for his performance with Mark O'Connor and the New Nashville Cats. In 1992 he released the quadruple-Platinum I Still Believe In You. The title cut became Gill's first number one single and the album also featured the hits "One More Last Chance," "Tryin' to Get Over You" and "No Future in the Past."

Vince Gill was becoming a popular and in-demand duet partner. In addition to performing as a solo artist, Gill also worked frequently as a studio musician, wrote songs for other artists and toured with Emmylou Harris. He topped the charts with "The Heart Won't Lie," a duet with Reba McEntire, which was featured on her album It's Your Call. In 1996, he and Dolly Parton won the CMA Vocal Event of the Year Award for their performance of "I Will Always Love You." His status continued with his 1999 duet "If You Ever Leave Me" with Barbra Streisand on the album A Love Like Ours.

He is known throughout the music industry as a gifted guitarist and harmonious singer, so it’s no surprise that his name appears on this year's prestigious Grammy ballot.

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Source: American Chronicle