During a recent chat with American Songwriter, Vince Gill opened up about what challenges him the most in his music career while discussing his songwriting process.
The Eagles guitarist mentioned how his songwriting developed, explaining:
“I’ve got a really interesting history with songwriting in my own head and my own heart because for such a long time, that was the knock on me was I couldn’t write songs. In those early ’80s years, I struggled to ever have a hit. I wanted to be a songwriter. My heroes were songwriters, and I wanted to be an artist who wrote his own songs.”
Gill went on to reveal why it took some time to improve his songwriting:
“That was the last thing that showed up for me was writing songs, and I think my singing and my playing always kind of overshadowed my songs. So there was even a period where I was told by my record company that I couldn’t record my own songs, and that was pretty crushing.”
The rocker also disclosed the reasons why he thinks his songwriting skills progressed over time:
“So I’ve always had enough of that to keep me in a place where you don’t think you’re Roger Miller, you don’t think you’re Bill Anderson, or whatever. And I just kept at it and kept at it, and little by little, they got better, and I think they got better because of my willingness to be patient and my willingness to edit myself.”
During a previous interview four years ago with American Songwriter again, Vince shared his advice for young songwriters who are trying to get noticed by publishers or the public. He said:
“Be persistent. Write more than you think you can. Even the greatest songwriters don’t write a great song every time. Be patient with the lyrics, and don’t settle for the first that works in a line. There are songs I still haven’t finished, but I work on them all the time.”
Although he struggled at first, Gill is currently celebrated as one of the most notable songwriters of recent decades. He stands as the sole songwriter to achieve the Song of the Year award four times for his songs: ‘When I Call Your Name,’ ‘Look at Us,’ ‘I Still Believe in You’ and ‘Go Rest High on That Mountain.’ He was additionally inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005.
You can watch the entire conversation below.
