During a 38-year career, Gill has sold more than 26 million albums, received 21 Grammys and earned
18 Country Music Association honors — becoming the most-awarded artist in CMA history. Radio
listeners first heard his voice when he was frontman for Pure Prairie League in the late ’70s.
Gill, as always, just seems glad to have a
place to pick good music.
guy than have people say I was the biggest
artist who ever lived,” he says. “That
carries respect, that carries character — all
the things that matter to me.”
But how about being a humble, decent
guy who was at least among the biggest
become.
During a 38-year career, he has sold
more than 26 million albums, received 21
Grammys and earned 18 Country Music
Association honors — becoming the mostawarded
artist in CMA history.
-
vised awards show for a record-setting 12
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood have
hosted 10 times since 2008, and Johnny
Gill will bring his voice, his band and, presumably,
his last bad habit to the Walt Disney
Theater on Saturday, November 10. Showtime
is 8 p.m. and tickets are priced starting
at $39.50. His performance is part of the arts
-
38 artsLife | FALL 2018
tian/pop music singer Amy Grant — began
his performing career as a high school bluegrass
musician. “My career has been all over
-
-
wanted to do just one thing over and over.”
voice when he was frontman for Pure Prai-
on the Billboard pop charts in 1980.
However, extensive touring and the im-
exit the band, and in 1983 he signed a solo
record deal with RCA in Nashville. Though he
had moderate chart success at the label, it
1989 that his career began to take off.
Working with producer Tony Brown —
whom he had met while playing in Rodney
When I Call
Your Name.
It was a pretty decent start, alright — selling
more than a million copies right out of
the gate. The title track, co-written with Tim