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.
Down To New Orleans
Vince Gill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Talk that French to me
You know your love is somethin'
Like I ain't never seen
I'm goin' down, down, down, down to New Orleans
Your eyes shine line diamonds
And those kisses sure make me scream There ain't nothin' like love on the bayou
Honey I know you know what I mean
I'm goin' down, down, down, down to New Orleans
I'm goin' down, down, down, down to New Orleans
They got the gumbo and the Creole
They got the Quarter all night long
I got my Delta Queen that makes my heart sing
Man I ain't never goin' home
I'm goin' down, down, down, down to New Orleans
The lyrics to Vince Gill's song Down To New Orleans paint a vivid picture of a man in love with a Creole woman and the enchanting city of New Orleans. The song opens with the singer addressing his love interest, calling her "Creole Darlin" and asking her to speak French to him, which he finds alluring. He goes on to describe his feelings about her love, saying it's something he has never experienced before. He expresses his intention to travel to New Orleans to experience the unique culture, food, and music of the city. The singer notes that his love interest's eyes shine like diamonds and her kisses make him scream.
The chorus repeats the phrase "I'm goin' down, down, down, down to New Orleans" emphasizing the singer's eagerness to visit the city. He talks about the gumbo and Creole cuisine, the energy of the French Quarter at night, and the Delta Queen, a famous riverboat, that makes his heart sings.
The song is a love letter to New Orleans, highlighting its vibrant culture, music, and food. The lyrics also convey the exuberance and excitement of someone falling in love for the first time.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey Creole Darlin'
Vince is addressing a woman from the Creole culture who he finds attractive
Talk that French to me
Vince wants the woman to speak French to him, which he finds alluring
You know your love is somethin'
Like I ain't never seen
Vince finds the woman's love to be unique and special
I'm goin' down, down, down, down to New Orleans
Vince expresses his excitement about going to New Orleans
Your eyes shine line diamonds
Vince admires the beauty of the woman's eyes
And those kisses sure make me scream
Vince is really enjoying the woman's kisses
There ain't nothin' like love on the bayou
Vince believes that love experienced in New Orleans is unlike love experienced anywhere else
Honey I know you know what I mean
Vince assumes that the woman understands his feelings about New Orleans
They got the gumbo and the Creole
Vince is listing some of the things he likes about New Orleans
They got the Quarter all night long
Vince appreciates the vibrant nightlife of the French Quarter in New Orleans
I got my Delta Queen that makes my heart sing
Vince is excited about a boat called the Delta Queen that he will be riding in New Orleans
Man I ain't never goin' home
Vince suggests that he has fallen in love with New Orleans and may never leave
I'm goin' down, down, down, down to New Orleans
Repetition of the lyrics from the beginning of the song, emphasizing Vince's anticipation of going to New Orleans
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PETE WASNER, VINCE GILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind