Most singers tend to celebrate a career milestone with a special concert, album, or documentary, but Vince Gill had a different idea. When looking back at his career that spanned five decades, he wanted to highlight each moment with the 50 Years From Home EP series. Taking fans on a trip to where it all started, the series acted as a bridge between the past and present. And with his latest EP, Marty and Me, hitting streaming platforms, Gill discussed the inspiration behind the project and how it started decades ago with Marty Stuart.
Before becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry, Gill was an aspiring artist working to get his footing in the genre. At the same time, Stuart was opening for Lester Flatt. Getting the chance to meet, that single moment started a friendship that flourished over the decades that followed.
Besides highlighting that friendship in the new Marty and Me EP, Gill said, “We’re so much alike in our deep love for what genuinely matters in this world of music. I see Marty as one of the folks, like myself, who’s respectful and reverent of the past, and knows a lot about it. We have so much of our history intertwined. It’s a great friendship.”
Marty Stuart Calls Vince Gill’s Friendship “Deeper, Sweeter, And Greater”
That friendship brought more than memories, as their EP included five new songs that Marty and Gill wrote together, like “Praying Like Hell For Rain.” And according to Gill, he was shocked it took them so long to get into the studio. “It was fun to finally hook up with Marty and write some songs. It seems silly we never did before.”
While there were times when Gill saw the songwriting process as work, he considered it a pleasure to collaborate with a friend. “We’re so similar in what we love that it’s fun to sit down with somebody you know, who feels the same way about feels and all those kinds of things that come up when you’re writing. He loves it really, really country, like I do, and that shows up in all the songs.”
How Writing Songs Brought Gill and Stuart Closer
And not wanting Gill to be the only one handing out praise, Stuart returned the favor. “Regardless of what’s trending in Music City, Vince can always be depended on to deliver state-of-the-art, integrity-based music to the forefront. This project confirms that yet again.”
After more than 50 years of friendship, sitting down to write together opened an entirely new chapter. And for Stuart, it all started with music. “When we started writing songs together, the friendship just became deeper and sweeter and greater.”
(Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for CMHOF)
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