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.
Randall Knife
Vince Gill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When he went off to World War II to save us all from ruin
Now if you′ve ever held a Randall knife, then you know my father well
If a better blade was ever made it was probably forged in hell
My father was a good man, a lawyer by his trade
And only once did I ever see him misuse the blade
Well, it almost took his thumb off when he took it for a tool
The knife was made for darker things, and you could not bend the rules
He let me take it camping once on a Boy Scout jamboree
And I broke a half an inch off, trying to stick it in a tree
Oh, I hid it from him for a while but the knife and he were one
He put it in his bottom drawer without a hard word one
And there it slept, there it stayed for 20 some odd years
Sorta like Excalibur, except waiting for a tear
Well, my father died when I was 40, and I couldn't find a way to cry
Not because I didn′t love him, not because he didn't try
I've cried for every lesser thing, whiskey, pain and beauty
And he deserved a better tear, and I was not quite ready
Oh, we took his ashes out to sea and poured ′em off the stern
And threw the roses in the wake of everything we′d learned
When we got back to the house, they asked me what I wanted
Not the lawbooks, not the watch, I need the thing he's haunted
Well, my hand burned for the Randall knife there in the bottom drawer
I found a tear for my father′s life, all that it stood for
The song "Randall Knife" by Vince Gill tells a poignant story of a father and son's relationship, connected by a cherished knife that passes through generations. The first verse sets the scene by introducing the father's prized possession - a Randall knife that his mother gave him before he joined the war. The profound quality of the knife is emphasized as it is described as perhaps being forged in hell.
The second verse reflects on the father's identity as a lawyer and his relationship with the knife. It is revealed that he had only misused the knife once, and that the knife was not made for everyday purposes. The third verse recounts an unfortunate incident that occurred when the song's narrator (the son) took the knife camping during a Boy Scout trip, breaking a piece off of it. His father does not become angry, but simply puts the knife away in his bottom drawer, where it remains for years.
The final two verses convey the son's emotional journey after his father's passing. He speaks of his struggles to grieve properly, until he finally finds the perfect way to honor his father's memory - by requesting the Randall knife that they shared. The knife, which has been untouched for decades, becomes the key to unlocking his emotions and expressing his love for his father.
Overall, "Randall Knife" is a heart-wrenching story that explores the complexities of father-son relationships, grief, and the power of physical objects to shape our memories and emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
My father had a Randall knife, my mother gave it to him
My father owned a Randall knife passed down to him by my mother
When he went off to World War II to save us all from ruin
He took the knife to serve his country during WWII
Now if you've ever held a Randall knife, then you know my father well
The knife is a symbol of my father's life and personality
If a better blade was ever made it was probably forged in hell
The Randall knife is considered one of the best blades made
My father was a good man, a lawyer by his trade
My father was a lawyer and a good person
And only once did I ever see him misuse the blade
My father only misused the knife once, using it as a tool instead of a weapon
Well, it almost took his thumb off when he took it for a tool
The knife is not meant for everyday use and can be dangerous
The knife was made for darker things, and you could not bend the rules
The knife is a weapon and should be used with caution and respect
He let me take it camping once on a Boy Scout jamboree
My father allowed me to borrow the knife for a Boy Scout event
And I broke a half an inch off, trying to stick it in a tree
I damaged the knife while using it inappropriately
Oh, I hid it from him for a while but the knife and he were one
I kept the damaged knife from my father, but the knife meant a lot to him
He put it in his bottom drawer without a hard word one
My father kept the knife in his drawer and did not confront me about it
And there it slept, there it stayed for 20 some odd years
The knife remained unused and untouched for over 20 years
Sorta like Excalibur, except waiting for a tear
The knife was like the mythical sword Excalibur, waiting for its rightful owner
Well, my father died when I was 40, and I couldn't find a way to cry
I had trouble expressing my emotions when my father passed away
Not because I didn't love him, not because he didn't try
My lack of tears did not mean I didn't love my father or appreciate his efforts
I've cried for every lesser thing, whiskey, pain and beauty
I've cried for other things before, but not for my father
And he deserved a better tear, and I was not quite ready
My father deserved more than I could give at the time of his passing
Oh, we took his ashes out to sea and poured 'em off the stern
We scattered my father's ashes at sea as per his wishes
And threw the roses in the wake of everything we'd learned
We threw roses to honor my father's legacy and all he taught us
When we got back to the house, they asked me what I wanted
After the ceremony, people asked me what I wanted to keep to remember my father
Not the lawbooks, not the watch, I need the thing he's haunted
I did not want any of his possessions except for the Randall knife
Well, my hand burned for the Randall knife there in the bottom drawer
I felt a strong desire to have the knife that my father kept in his drawer
I found a tear for my father's life, all that it stood for
After receiving the knife, I finally found the tears I was looking for to honor my father's life and legacy
Writer(s): Guy Clark
Contributed by Sophia R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.