Amy Grant and husband Vince Gill’s love story has come full circle after they were brought together decades ago with the help of a special holiday.
The couple’s journey to marital bliss began in 1983, when Gill became captivated by Grant’s voice after hearing one of her Christmas songs on the radio. However, the two didn’t meet in person until a decade later.
Last month, Grant and Gill, who have been married 24 years, announced that they were teaming up for a new Christmas album, “When I Think Of Christmas.”
“There’s nothing in the world that I love more than watching my girl shine, and she might shine the brightest when she does Christmas music,” Gill, 67, said in a press release.
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“We have shared stages together for over 30 years, and I’ve loved every note of it,” he added. “I hope everyone enjoys this collection of songs and hearing Amy shine.”
In her own statement, Grant, 63, said, “Christmas music is a portal to wonder and awe, to nostalgia and ‘remember when,’ to hope and how-we-wish-it-could-be.
“And because we return to the same playlists year after year, those songs have become the backdrop for our collective memories of gathering, of family, of gift giving, of celebration and solitude.
“I’ve recorded a lot of Christmas music over the years, and I’m excited to add two new songs to this collection, especially the song Vince and I close our Christmas concerts with, ‘‘Til The Season Comes Round Again.’ I hope these new songs find a place on playlists, whether it’s during the holiday season or all year ‘round.”
In March, Grant and Gill, who began as friends and music collaborators, celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary.
While appearing on the WSM radio show “I Played the Ryman,” Gill revealed what first drew him to Grant.
He shared how he was struck after hearing her hit song “Tennessee Christmas” playing on the radio while he was driving around Nashville.
“I heard her voice, and I pulled the car over. I said, ‘There’s something in that voice, it’s connecting to me,’ and little did I know how much,” the country singer recalled.
The future couple first met in December 1993, when Gill headlined the televised holiday concert “Christmas With Vince Gill” in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with Grant joining him as a guest performer alongside Michael McDonald and Chet Atkins.
During a 2003 joint interview with Gill on “Larry King Live,” Grant said, “We actually crossed paths many times before we actually worked together. We sang for the troops during Desert Storm at Fort Campbell. And I just thought he was a nice guy. And then we worked together Christmas of ’93 and actually performed together.
“I was just captivated with his personality,” the singer added. “I just thought he was a great guy.”
At the time, both were married to other partners and had children. Grant, who has been dubbed the “Queen of Christian Pop,” married fellow Christian singer Gary Chapman in 1982, and they share son Matt, 37, and daughters Gloria, 35, and Sarah, 32.
Gill and Janis Oliver, one half of the country music sister duo Sweethearts of the Radio, tied the knot in 1980. The two share a daughter Jenny, 42.
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Though Gill and Grant would later fall in love, the “Baby, Baby” hitmaker told King there was “nothing shocking” between them in 1993.
“You know, we worked together,” she said. “It was great. I was doing a benefit for the symphony in Nashville. And he was doing a TV show for a Christmas show with Chet Atkins. And I — and he — his management called mine and said, ‘Would she be on the TV show?’ And I said, ‘Hey, I’ll do that TV show with him if he’ll do the benefit with me.’ And that’s really — that was the connection of our friendship for years was doing these Christmas shows”
While Grant insisted that their relationship was only a friendship at first, Gill admitted that he immediately felt a spark with his future wife.
“I mean, look at her,” he told King. “Any idiot, you know, would be quite taken with Amy. And I was no exception. And just, once again, the connection there that was kind of rare was — it was — it felt — everything felt familiar, you know, when I met Amy.
“You know, we would have a conversation, and it was easy,” he continued. “Everything was easy. The hang was easy, the conversation was easy. And I just said, man, I said that’s a great girl.”
In a 2011 joint interview with Gill for AARP magazine, Grant recalled being drawn to the country star when they performed at three events together in one night around the holidays in 1993.
“I knew from the tips of my toes that he was unlike anybody I had ever met,” she told the outlet. “And that I related to him on such a cellular level. I was just so overwhelmed by him as a person that I finally came up behind him and wrapped my arms around him and said, ‘I’ve needed to do this all night.'”
Gill recalled being caught off guard by Grant’s gesture, though he admitted that the feeling was mutual.
“He went, ‘Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!'” Grant remembered. “It was weird. It was all caught on film, too.”
During her interview with King, Grant said that after hearing Gill’s voice live, she asked him if he would join her for a duet on the title track of her 1994 album, “House of Love.”
In a joint interview with Gill on ABC News in 2003, Grant recalled that she began to develop romantic feelings for Gill when they met to record a music video for “House of Love.”
“I think that a part of me loved him instantly,” she said.
However, Grant told AARP she was torn over her feelings for Gill since she felt that they conflicted with her deeply-held Christian values. Gill said he was also struggling with his attraction to Grant but insisted that the two never cheated or discussed leaving their spouses.
“We were both married, and though we were crazy about each other, we thought, ‘Well, that’s not our life,'” he said.
However, rumors of a romance between Grant and Gill began to swirl. The “Hotel California” singer told King that their friendship led to “animosity” in their relationships with Oliver and Chapman.
In April 1997, Oliver filed for divorce from Gill. While speaking with AARP, Grant recalled learning about the divorce from Chapman, who read about it on the front page of a newspaper. By that time, Chapman was aware of Grant’s feelings for Gill and told her that he was “grateful” that someone had finally taken action.
“[It was] awful. Awful! Killed me for him,” Grant remembered. “How painful to be married to somebody you know is so captivated by another human being.”
Grant and Chapman tried marital counseling but separated in December 1998 and finalized their divorce in June 1999. During an October 1999 interview with The Tennessean, the singer confirmed she and Gill were dating.
Grant and Gill announced their engagement in March 2000, and they tied the knot that same month. A year and two days after their first anniversary, the two welcomed daughter Corinna.
However, the couple told AARP they initially found it difficult to blend their families as Grant’s children were resentful of her relationship with Gill and often made hurtful remarks to the Eagles member. Gill’s approach was to remain patient, and his relationship with Grant’s children began to improve over time.
“All those things had been said, so when it finally turned to tolerance, respect and, best-case scenario, love — oh, that was quite a journey,” Grant said. “It’s like a broken bone that grows stronger if it heals properly.”
Gill told the outlet that welcoming Corinne into the family helped change the dynamic.
“[She’s] the glue of this whole family,” he said. “She bonded all of us in a blood way that really did connect us.”
In 2011, Gill attended Grant’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony with all of their children. During the event, Gill paid tribute to his wife with a touching speech.
“Amy’s greatest quality is her ability to have a conversation with you as your friend or even a stranger, and she will never waver from that conversation,” Gill said in a video shared by The Associated Press.
“This is the greatest thing I love about my wife is that when she talks to you, she’s not looking over your shoulder to see if a bigger, better deal is coming through the room. She’s engaged in you and you only.”
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“If you’re lucky enough to have spent time with her as a friend or travel the road with her riding a bus, or let her help you kind of cure your own problems, she is a great friend, and I applaud her for that.”
In December 2019, Grant raved about performing with Gill during an interview with People magazine in which she discussed their Christmas at the Ryman residency.
“I fall in love with him every night again hearing him play because he is maybe one of the most gifted musicians, singers I’ve ever heard in my life. I mean ever,” she said. “He just makes everything better. Makes everything sound better. And he’s funny. And he makes fun of himself. And that’s really disarming.
“And he’s kind of a crybaby,” she added. “When something is sentimental, he really chokes up.”
In 2021, Gill received his 22nd Grammy Award for a song he wrote for Grant, “When My Amy Prays.” Gill won the award for best solo country performance for the song.
During an interview with CMT ahead of the ceremony, Gill explained the meaning behind “When My Amy Prays.”
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“It’s just a testament to how much I care about her. How dear she is to me in my life,” he told CMT. “Kindness is how she leads her life, and it’s the first thing you ever notice. It’s the first thing you ever experience, and it’s kind of unending.”
In 2022, Gill helped Grant recover after she was injured in a bike accident that July. Grant spent two nights at Vanderbilt University Medical Center after she struck a pothole while cycling with a friend near a golf course. She was treated for multiple injuries, including cuts, abrasions and a concussion. Grant was reportedly left unconscious for approximately 10 minutes after the accident.
While Grant was recuperating from the accident, Gill and Corinna paid tribute to her with a performance of “When My Amy Prays” during a concert at the Ryman Auditorium August 2022.
In a post uploaded to Grant’s official Facebook page, a tearful Corinna changed the lyrics to “when my mama prays”
“Last night Vince performed his second concert of a four-night residency at the Ryman. He informed the crowd that Amy was getting better every day after a bike crash last week that left her unconscious for about 10 minutes and with a concussion (along with various cuts and bruises),” the post states. “He then introduced their daughter Corrina who performed a song in honor of her mom…. Show stopper moment.”
Gill told the audience he had not performed the song recently because of “her accident and everything she’s been going through.” He added, “I thought how sweet it would be for her youngest to sing this song I wrote for her.”
In a 2023 interview with People magazine, Grant, who canceled several concerts after her bike accident, praised Gill for supporting her through her difficult recovery.
“The biggest thing was, in the two months after the wreck, it was really depressing,” Grant recalled. “Everything canceled, and I just said, ‘What if I’m never all the way back?’
“And he said, ‘Things happen to people every day, and you just have to take one day at a time, and we’re here, and I love you.’ And that just kind of made every day of the journey OK.
“And I do feel fantastic.”
On July 25, the official date of “Christmas in July,” the music icons and longtime couple revealed they will be releasing “When I Think Of Christmas” Sept. 13.
According to a press release, “When I Think of Christmas” will feature nine previously released songs, including Grant’s “Tennessee Christmas” and “Breath of Heaven,” which were both included on her hit 1992 album “Home for Christmas.”
Two of Gill’s songs, “O Holy Night” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” are also on the track list for “When I Think of Christmas.” In addition, the album features two new recordings, including a rendition of the title song that was performed by Grant and the pair’s “Til the Season Comes Round Again.”
The duo will also return for their 14th annual Christmas at the Ryman residency at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville with dates running from Nov. 29 through Dec. 21.
