Gill was born in Norman, Oklahoma, the home of the University of Oklahoma Sooners and learned to play several instruments, including banjo and guitar before he started high school at Oklahoma City's Northwest Classen High School. After he graduated, he played in a number of bluegrass bands. He debuted on the national scene with the country-rock band Pure Prairie League in 1979, appearing on that band's album Can't Hold Back. Gill is the lead singer on their hit song, "Let Me Love You Tonight" (1980), which he was still performing in concert years later - thus, he said, confusing many fans who knew him only from his subsequent solo work. Gill appeared on two subsequent albums along with his then-wife Janis Oliver.
Departing Pure Prairie League in 1981, Gill joined Rodney Crowell’s backing band The Notorious Cherry Bombs, where he met and worked with Tony Brown and Emory Gordy Jr., both of whom would later produce many of his future solo albums.
Signing as a solo artist with RCA Records in 1983, he first charted while on that label. In 1989 he switched to MCA Records where he recorded his breakthrough hit "When I Call Your Name." His 1998 album The Key received great critical acclaim. His other albums include Next Big Thing (2003) and Let's Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye (2000). The Guitar Slinger Songfacts says that Gill released his twelfth studio album, Guitar Slinger, on October 25, 2011 via MCA Nashville. It was his manager, Larry Fitzgerald, who came up with the title, as he felt there was something different the way Gill was playing the guitar on the record.
Gill hosted the CMA Awards every year from 1992 to 2003. In 2004 he received a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. In 1997, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
He married country singer Janis Oliver (of Sweethearts of the Rodeo fame) in 1980. The couple have one daughter, Jennifer Jerene Gill, born 5 May 1982. Vince and Janis separated in the mid-1990s and eventually divorced in June 1998. Vince later began dating and eventually married Christian/pop singer Amy Grant in March of 2000. They have one daughter, Corrina Grant Gill born 12 March 2001.
Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler was a fan of Gill's, and had asked Gill to join the band full time. Gill turned down the invitation but did sing backup on one song ("The Bug") from Dire Straits' album On Every Street.
Gill has also sung duets with numerous artists, including Dolly Parton ("I Will Always Love You"), Reba McEntire ("Oklahoma Swing," "The Heart Won't Lie," "It Just Has to Be That Way"), Amy Grant ("House of Love"), and Barbra Streisand ("If You Ever Leave Me"); his other credits as a backup vocalist have included "Girls With Guitars" by Wynonna Judd (written by Mary-Chapin Carpenter, who, coincidentally, had a country hit with her cover of "The Bug") and "Nothing Left Behind Us" by Richard Marx.
A Real Lady's Man
Vince Gill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sure paints the perfect picture that's so hard to resist
Though the lure of the old night life has always tempted fools
It can't compare with what you stand to lose
[Chorus]
Remember the promise you wear on your left hand
Cheatin's no companion for a real lady's man
If only I had listened to my own words of advice
And turned down the invitation in another woman's eyes
For the softness of a stranger, I threw good love away
Friend there ain't no higher price to pay
[Chorus]
In Vince Gill's song A Real Lady's Man, the lyrics express the temptation of the nightlife, the taste of wine and liquor, and a woman's tender kiss. These pleasures are presented as being hard to resist, but the chorus reminds us of the promise we wear on our left hand, and that cheating is not a companion for a real lady's man. The verses tell the story of the singer having regrets, recalling his own advice to others, and acknowledging that the price to pay for giving in to temptation is high.
The first verse presents the allure of the old night life, the pleasure of taste, and the tender kiss of a woman that can paint a perfect picture. The second verse shifts to the singer's experience and his regrets. He wishes he had listened to his own advice and avoided the temptation of another woman's eyes, acknowledging that he threw good love away for the softness of a stranger. The chorus reminds us that cheating is never the right thing to do and that a real lady's man would never give in to such temptation.
Overall, the song suggests that there may be things that are hard to resist, but they are not worth losing the love and trust of a real lady. In doing so, Gill advocates for integrity, loyalty, and respect in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the taste of wine and liquor and a woman's tender kiss
The pleasure of indulging in alcohol and kissing a woman seems irresistible to a man
Sure paints the perfect picture that's so hard to resist
Such experiences create an enticing image which is difficult to refuse
Though the lure of the old night life has always tempted fools
The attraction of a wild lifestyle has always caused people to make foolish choices
It can't compare with what you stand to lose
The consequences of such behavior are too grave to gamble with
Remember the promise you wear on your left hand
Recall the commitment you made to your significant other and the symbol of your marriage on your left hand
Cheatin's no companion for a real lady's man
Being unfaithful is not an attribute of a gentleman who values women and respects his partner
If only I had listened to my own words of advice
The singer regrets not following his own guidance to avoid making a bad decision
And turned down the invitation in another woman's eyes
Rejecting the invitation implied by another woman's gaze would have been the right thing to do
For the softness of a stranger, I threw good love away
He sacrificed true love for the fleeting, physical touch of a stranger
Friend there ain't no higher price to pay
The cost of such a mistake is immeasurable
Remember the promise you wear on your left hand
The message is repeated to stress the importance of staying faithful to one's spouse
Cheatin's no companion for a real lady's man
The chorus reiterates that a man of integrity and respect should never betray his loved one
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Carl E Jackson, Vincent Grant Gill
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind