Hearts Won't Lie About Vince Gill Family, Friends Shed Light on Star's Roots

Above all things, Vince Gill is a modest man.

He has looks, talent and athletic ability, but you'll never hear him brag on himself. Tales of his successes come from others, his family and friends, and even they are somewhat reluctant to talk.

"I've always had the musician's attitude that it didn't matter where I sat on the totem pole as long as I was satisfied with myself," Gill said. "I was content and happy 10 or 12 years ago.

I'm playing with the greatest musicians in the world, and if the rest of the world didn't know it, it's OK. " However, the world does know it. Gill is one of the most popular singers in country music today. He has been honored by all the big music award groups - the Grammy, the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music and the TNN/Music City Awards.

Just this year, he walked off with five of the prestigious Country Music Association awards, including the coveted Entertainer of the Year.

It all began when the now-owner of several multiplatinum records was born in Norman on April 12, 1957. His family moved to a house in northwest Oklahoma City in 1961, and that's where he lived until he moved to Los Angeles in 1975.

Having a guitar in his hands is nothing new for Gill. He has done that since his early years in the Sooner state.

As a toddler, he carried his grandmother's guitar around the house from the time he could walk.

"The guitar was his favorite toy," said Jerene Gill, the singer's mother. "And now he plays everything - fiddle, banjo, Dobro, mandolin, steel guitar, guitar - any stringed instrument. " His mother still has that first guitar, though now a bit beat up. She plans to have it refurbished.

"As far back as I can remember, somebody was playing music in the house," the singer said. "When I was 6 or 7, I remember Chet Atkins. " He also remembers being more of a musician than a singer growing up.

"I paid more attention to the musicians when I was young. It was fun for me," Gill said. "I bought records because of who was playing on them. " Gill admits he learned to play by ear. He had little formal training, and can read a little music, even though he played the piano and violin as a child.

"Nothing stuck," he said. "I got bored with theory; I wanted to learn songs. " Sports have always been a big part of his life. Gill played Little League baseball, football and junior golf. Today he plays basketball and is considered a fine golfer.

In fact, some people tell of Gill's problems, deciding between playing golf professionally and a music career.

As a teen-ager, his mother said, he didn't date much. Instead, he played music, worked at a local golf course and Pizza Inn and shuffled cars for the Oklahoma City Police Department.

The superstar in his earlier days was a picky eater, living on Cheerios with sugar, mustard-only sandwiches on white bread, hamburgers and pizza, his mother says.

"I'd eat the world now, but I have rediscovered Cheerios," the singer said, laughing.

His mother describes him as easygoing, but he has a temper.

"He was happy doing his thing," she said.

Gina LeBoeuf sees her brother as normal, nice, sweet and gentle.

"I always felt like I had to protect him," LeBoeuf said.

On the first day of kindergarten, Gill met another student, Rick Buchanan. The two are still friends today, talking to each other frequently on the telephone, and seeing each other when the entertainer comes home.

"Vince can go unrecognized when he's here," Buchanan said. "He doesn't shave. He walks to the Dairy Queen or to Shepherd Mall. " Buchanan describes Gill as a perfectionist, but easygoing about it.

"They kind of contradict themselves," Buchanan said. "You think he is the nicest, most easygoing guy in the world, but, mainly in sports and music - in competition - he becomes a perfectionist.

"Not to belittle his music, but I've seen the musician all my life, but to go out and play golf the way he does, it's amazing. We played on the same team in basketball, and he'd always score more points. In races, he'd always finish 1/10 of a second ahead. " "It's not fair," he continued jokingly, "Now, he's got more hair. " Buchanan went on to say that Gill was popular in school.

"I wouldn't say women flocked after him, but he was well-known and well-liked," Buchanan said. "I believe he was destined for success. He was given a talent by God, and he worked and worked on it, and he still works on it. " Buchanan tells the story of a time when one of Gill's bands was going to play at a school assembly. Gill called Buchanan a few days before and asked Buchanan to play him a particular Doobie Brothers song over the phone so he could hear it.

"I put the phone next to the speakers and played the song several times," Buchanan remembered. "He said he was going to play it at an assembly in a couple of days. He did it, just from hearing it over the phone.

"I don't mean for him to sound like Superman, but he's worked on music all his life," Buchanan said. "He loves what he does.

"Even if he hadn't won all the awards, I'd still be saying the same things because he's my friend. " While in high school, the musician played with the Oklahoma City band Mountain Smoke. His mother owns a Mountain Smoke album, the one with her son on the cover.

Gill left for Louisville, Ky., shortly after he graduated from Northwest Classen High School in 1975. He played with The Bluegrass Alliance and with Ricky Skaggs' backup band.

Skaggs fired him, and Gill went to California.

Gill went with a friend who was going to audition for Pure Prairie League. A band member recognized Gill as the guy in Mountain Smoke and he got the job.

He got a big break in 1979, when Pure Prairie League scored a hit with "Let Me Love You Tonight," and Gill as the lead singer.

He quit the band in 1982, when his wife, Janis, was pregnant with their daughter, Jenifer. He worked with Rodney Crowell and Rosanne Cash and signed an RCA recording contract.

He moved to Nashville, Tenn., in 1983. Between albums, Gill became a highly respected studio musician, working with hundreds of Music City's brightest stars.

When asked when he felt like he'd made it big, his answer is quite surprising.

"I felt like I've made it big ever since I left home. I have always been able to support myself with music and get the rent paid and the family fed," he said.

The entertainer has a Christmas album out, "Let There Be Peace on Earth. " There are two tracks special to him. One he recorded with his daughter, and one about his brother Bob Coen, who died earlier this year, "It Won't Be the Same This Year. " "Singing with my daughter was the greatest," the proud father said. "We sang it a few times through and then got it. When the record came back, I fell out in the floor crying. It's the neatest thing I've ever done. " The emotions in the song about his brother were easy to draw on, but painful.

"It's neat that I have the opportunity to do things like that," Gill said. "My family will have something that means a lot. While it was a story about my brother, a lot of people will relate to the same emotions. " As for his future, Gill has few plans. In January, he begins a new record that is expected to be released around May 1994. He probably will tour for a while to support the album. After that, he's fuzzy on details.

"I don't make plans, I never set goals," he said. "I like to watch it unfold. It's more of a surprise and more fun. I'd rather wait to see what happens. " BIOG: VINCE GILL NAME:

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