Vince Gill makes his second appearance on Mountain Stage in support of his new album, Guitar Slinger — the first release he's recorded in his home studio. Gill cut his teeth in the '70s as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist with outfits like Ricky Skaggs' Boone Creek before joining the country-rock group Pure Prairie League in 1979. Gill left in 1981 to join Rodney Crowell's renowned backing band The Cherry Bombs, and later turned down an offer from Mark Knopfler to become a full-time member of Dire Straits. Not long after that, Gill became a country superstar, releasing a string of platinum albums and hosting the CMA awards a record-setting 12 consecutive times.
Gill has done all this while bucking long-established Nashville conventions, writing his own material and featuring his own virtuoso guitar playing on his records — a path that would later be followed by the likes of Keith Urban and Brad Paisley. Gill's extended Mountain Stage set includes the guitar romp "Liza Jane," his Grammy-winning favorite "Go Rest High on That Mountain" and the new track "Threaten Me With Heaven" from Guitar Slinger.
This show originally aired on October 24, 2011.
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