Blame it On Their Roots
90s country is still the one in Nashville.
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I always felt like my ears never lied to me, he says.
I had fun in the process at every stretch, says Gill while reflecting on his long career.
I was not despondent when I was struggling, I was fine.
I sang on herfirst hit recordand she sang on my first hit record.
One of the reasonsWhen I Call Your Namedid so well was because of Patty singing that high harmony.
Nobody said anything about it until Pattys voice got on it.
That last element really gave it a whole lot of its definition.
Pattys voice was that, and it was pretty sweet.
There are certain songs that mean an awful lot to me that are just buried on a record somewhere.
Then 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.
Little by little, I found myself wanting to become an artist.
I started wanting to write my own songs.
I guess I was meant to sing and play, but I honestly feel I sing like a musician.
When Im playing, I say, Okay, how would I sing what Im about to play?
Toughest song to sing
You know, I havent lost anything.
Im 66 and I can still sing as high as I always did.
Actually, the lowest notes are usually harder for me.
So those key changes in When I Call Your Name are easy?
They kind of are, though theyre getting a little more challenging as the years go by.
Whenever You Come Around, I do a half step higher than I did on the record.
Ill be out there touring, and everybody gets run down and loses their voice a little bit.
But the band is so good, it doesnt matter what you throw at them.
They can play the songs in any key that you choose to do.
Its stuck with me forever.
Every now and then theres a combination of voices thats just really, really powerful.
But when theyre related, when the bloodlines align, theres something in there that makes it so special.
Im just more willing to edit now than I ever have.
Its similar to the way that I choose to play.
If I play 12 notes, I think, Could I say more with eight notes?
Can I say more with six notes?
Its a good thing.
What I love most about music is emotions.
Being impressed is a much different emotion than being moved.
Thats a deeper feeling than the screaming that just lasts for two seconds.
Guitar solo you want another shot at recording
Oooooh, maybe theres one.
Certain songs require you to play a certain way.
Liza Jane needs that busier kind of solo.
One More Last Chance needs that kind of solo.
But a solo on Whenever You Come Around, its more melod-driven and not a whole bunch of information.
I got a really good lesson when I was a young musician playing on a record.
Can I ask you to try it one more time?
This time, just play me half of what you know.
And neither is right.
My ways not right, its just my way.
Not fun for the token hillbilly.
I think I opened with Oklahoma Borderline, and its quite a showpiece for the guitar, you know?
You started playing Oklahoma Borderline, and everybody started leaving en masse to go get a beer.
Last year, I did about 35 shows over a couple of months.
Because of COVID, I hadnt played much.
I had the hardest time keeping up.
It was really fun to make myself woodshed and practice.
It took the whole summer to finally feel like I was back to normal.
My brain was fine, but my brain wouldnt coexist with my hands.
Im sitting there going, OK, is it the fact that Im in my 60s?
And it came back, and it was a good feeling to have it show up.
Its always come pretty easy, and so that was rough on me.
One is called What Choice Will You Make, and its about a young girl that gets pregnant.
It never says what she should or shouldnt do, its strictly about the moment that shes in.
It doesnt have a solution, theres no judgment.
I think that the songs are a whole lot better without being preachy.
But you might have conversations about all these hard subjects if youre gracious about it.
Im proud of it its not afraid to deal with a tough subject.
My best songs are coming now.
Most intimidating collaborator
I remember singing with Gladys Knight.
It took R&B artists and put them with country artists.
I felt her apprehension I could see it in her face.
She didnt have a clue who I was.
She started smiling and I go, Okay, were good.
I just passed the test.
Pretty cool street cred minute for me.
I learned as much from Black music as I did any kind of music.
Creative people, people that do what I do, we dont care where it comes from.
Its what Duke Ellington said: there are two kinds of music, good and bad.
Biggest lesson youve learned as a producer
How to stay out of the way.
The real beauty of making music is the democracy of it.
Its like making a movie.
But thats just a matter of what I like.
I think we revere our past and think, Oh, that was the greatest stuff ever.
With time, weve forgotten so many of the bad records and the bad songs.
We only remember the great ones.
