Vince Gill has been a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry for 33 years. The 67-year-old was inducted in 1991, and has remained one of its most frequent performers, and avid supporters, for more than three decades.

“The Opry doesn’t have to mean the same thing to everybody,” Gill reflects to Cowboys & Indians. “For me, it’s just the inclusion, the love of family, and the way everybody bonds together. It is pretty unique, it really is true.

“The coolest thing of all for me is that my mom was born in 1925, and she thought she was born on the day the Opry started,” he adds with a laugh. “I let her still believe that.”

There’s a long list of artists who seem worthy of being inducted into the Opry, even though membership has, at least so far, eluded them. According to Gill, the requirements of membership have evolved over the years, which might explain why some legends still are not Grand Ole Opry members.

“I just go whenever I can,” the Country Music Hall of Fame member says.” A long time ago, there was contractually a number of appearances you had to make to be an Opry member. And so many people couldn’t make a commitment to that many performances. A lot of people wound up not being Opry members that could’ve been and probably should’ve been,” he said. “They dropped those rules some years later.”

 

Gill still vividly recalls his debut performance in 1989, when he sang one of his early releases, “When I Call Your Name.”

“It wasn’t a hit,” Gill says. “It hadn’t even been recorded yet. And I had no reason to believe it would change my life like it did. I remember just being so grateful that they thought enough of what I did to say, ‘We’d like to have you come out and play.’”

Gill’s debut The Things That Matter album was released in 1985. Almost 40 years later, Gill is still writing and recording music, and hints his best days in country music might still be ahead of him.

“[I’m] fired up,” Gill tells American Songwriter, explaining why this might be his favorite era in music. Gill recently began working with former BMI executive Jody Williams, who started a publishing company,

“I never had a publisher,” Gill explains. “That probably shocks people. I never felt the need to have one. I had a vehicle for my songs with my own record deal and my own records that I was going to make. That was enough for me.”

In recent years, Gill has penned at least 120 songs, unafraid to tackle hard topics in his music.

“I felt like you could have a conversation about anything that was uncomfortable if you were not judgmental and you were kind of open to not pointing your finger towards somebody else, making them feel like they’re wrong or guilt them or any of that kind of stuff,” Gill says. “Some of these songs are interesting about what they entail and give people a little dose of that.”

“It’s not me trying to guilt anybody into believing what I believe,” he adds. “There’s not any of that kind of judgment in these songs, and that’s what I’m proud of most.”

Find all of Gill’s music and upcoming shows at VinceGill.com.