Vince Gill and Amy Grant are amid their 14th annual jingle jangle Christmas at the Ryman residency. With two days — and four shows —remaining in their run, there’s still time to make Nashville’s favorite yuletide couple part of your family holiday tradition.
Gill and Grant have been in residence at the Ryman since November. And while they haven’t performed daily, they’ve sprinkled plenty of cheer like the snowflakes that appear during their show. While no two nights are identical, here are five things you can look forward to if you nab tickets to one of the remaining concerts.
1. Vince Gill’s Funny Stories
Most of the time, these anecdotes come from Gill, who has the ability to laugh at himself in even the most unlaughable situations. During the December 18 show, the audience learned he had a mother who loved him and supported his dreams – and that he once took a venue operator to small claims court for not paying him the $100 he promised.
“I feel like if I’ve ever told the truth in a song, this might be the best example of it,” he said. “I’ve loved doing this, and if someone paid me $100 to play a beer joint, I was in. The first time I got hired to play a gig, I got stiffed for the money, and I still did it.”
Gill said he played the five-hour gig, and at the end of the night, the lady refused to pay him. Gill told her that his father was a lawyer and that he’d see her in court.
“This judge presented the case and said, ‘Son, I understand you’re suing this woman and the club for services rendered for $100. I said, ‘Yes, sir. She agreed to pay us $100 and wouldn’t pay us when we were done.’”
The judge then told Gill the venue owner was counter-suing him for a list of grievances, including liable. He suggested Gill drop the suit.
“He said, ‘Chalk this up to experience and get out of my court,” Gill recounted. “So, we burned her club down.”
After the crowd exploded in laughter and applause, Gill took it back.
“No, we didn’t,” he said. “We just peed in the parking lot.”
2. A Christmas Carol Sing-Along with Amy Grant
Gill has always been open about Grant’s Christmas spirit being more voluminous than his. So, it’s no surprise that when it came time for Christmas carols, Grant led the “O Come All Ye Faithful” sing-along.
3. Amy Grant’s Heartfelt Memories
Grant remembers the first time she heard Gill sing live. She didn’t know him well when she promised the Nashville Symphony that she would play a benefit concert for them in 1993. She asked Gill if he would join her – and he asked her if she would do a television show with him in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The show was with Chet Atkins and Michael McDonald, and Grant joked they just needed a chick singer with a lot of Christmas music.
“We had never sung in the same space,” Grant said. “People can sound like anything on a record because you can fix it. I had never heard him sing live, and I was dumbfounded at his perfection. There’s nothing perfect about me. All I need is duct tape and twine, and I’ll make it work.”
Grant invited Gill to sing high harmony on “House of Love,” which she said isn’t a Christmas song but will always remind her of Christmas.
4. It Wasn’t All Christmas Songs
While the residency is undeniably dressed for Christmas, it’s not totally traditional fare. Gill does a swinging version of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” and a glistening version of “O Holy Night” accompanied by the pianist. Grant reached back 40 years to her “Love Has Come,” “Tennessee Christmas,” and skipped to the ‘90s for “Breath of Heaven.” But, Gill also sang a few new songs he’s written and gushed about Grant, explaining he wrote “Whenever You Come Around” about her smile before he knew her.
5. A Heart-Warming Night of Music and Love
It’s impossible to watch Grant and Gill on stage and not feel their love for each other. The couple lovingly held hands at different points throughout the night, proudly watched their daughter Corrina stun the Ryman audience with her vocal performance of a reworked version of Gill’s “When My Amy Prays,” and even finished the night with a kiss.
Photo by Robby Klein
