SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2008, AT 8 PM

Acura is the sponsor for the concert - All Acura vehicles park for free for the evening

Country singer-songwriter and musician Vince Gill makes his debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall in An Intimate Evening with Vince Gill, Saturday, October 25, at 8 p.m. In a performance that is part of a 41-city tour, the Grammy-winner presents an array of his most notable songs along with some new material and entertains the audience by sharing his notorious sense of humor and warmth. In a departure from previous tours involving large bands, Gill goes acoustic for the performance and is joined on stage by Billy Thomas, drums, Peter Wasner, piano, and Mike Bub, bass.

“In 2006 and 2007, I toured with a 17-piece band so I could reproduce the sounds of my latest release, These Days,” Gill says. “It was wonderful, but this year I wanted to do something more pared down and informal, giving me a chance to relate to the audience in a different way.”

These Days, which was certified platinum, earned Gill his 19th Grammy earlier this year.

The performance kicks off the LA PHIL’s 2008/09 Songbook series, which features intimate performances by some of the foremost talents in contemporary American music. Each year since its inception, the LA PHIL Songbook series has brought audiences some of the most cherished evenings of song. The 2008/2009 series includes: Patti Austin: Avant Gershwin, February 13, 2009; and Chita Rivera: The Secret of Life, May 2, 2009.

VINCE GILL began his singing career in bluegrass and pop, but in 1983, he signed with RCA Records and moved to Nashville to pursue his dream of being a Country Music artist. His debut mini-album Turn Me Loose was released the following year, featuring his first charting solo single, “Victim of Life’s Circumstance.” The Things That Matter, his first full album was released later that year, featuring two Top 10 hits, one of which was a duet with Rosanne Cash,“If It Weren’t For Him.” He earned his first Top 5 single, “Cinderella” from his 1987 album The Way Back Home. In addition to performing as a solo artist, Gill also worked frequently as a studio musician, wrote songs for other artists and toured with Emmylou Harris. Gill signed with MCA Records in 1989, and released the album When I Call Your Name. While the debut single “Oklahoma Swing” (a duet with Reba McEntire) reached the Top 20, it was the title cut that firmly established the singer as new force on the Country Music scene. The song peaked at No. 2 and earned Gill his first CMA award (Single of the Year) and his first Grammy award (Best Male Country Vocal Performance) in 1990. The next single, “Never Knew Lonely,” peaked at No. 3 and the album was certified Platinum for sales of more than one million copies. Gill’s next album, Pocket Full of Gold, also became a Platinum certified album after it was released in 1991 and featured four Top 10 hits. That year he also earned his first CMA Vocal Event of the Year Award for his performance with Mark O’Connor and the New Nashville Cats (featuring Gill, Ricky Skaggs and Steve Wariner). In 1992, he released the quadruple-Platinum certified I Still Believe In You. The title cut became Gill’s first No. 1 single, followed quickly by “Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away.” Gill co-hosted the CMA Awards for the first time in 1992 and continued to host for 12 consecutive years, ending his run in 2003. Gill not only set a record for the most times anyone has consecutively hosted a televised award show, but he set the bar for other television awards emcees with his respect for his peers and the audience, quick ad libs and gentle humor. His 1996 album High Lonesome Sound leaned back towards his bluegrass days, while The Key, released in 1998, was a return to hardcore country while chronicling the turmoil in his life including the death of his father and the breakup of his first marriage. The album was one of his most critically acclaimed releases and his first to top the Billboard Country Albums chart. His status as an in-demand duet partner continued with his 1999 duet “If You Ever Leave Me” with Barbra Streisand on the latter’s album A Love Like Ours. Gill married singer Amy Grant in 2000, and released Let’s Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye that same year in celebration of his new relationship. Three years later, Gill released Next Big Thing, his first solo-produced album. In 2006, Gill released These Days, a groundbreaking, four-CD set featuring 43 new recordings of diverse musical stylings. Each album in the set explored a different musical mood – traditional country; ballads; contemporary, up-tempo; and acoustic/bluegrass music. The set features a variety of guest performers including John Anderson, Guy Clark, Sheryl Crow, Phil Everly, daughter Jenny Gill, wife Amy Grant, Emmylou Harris, Diana Krall, Michael McDonald, Bonnie Raitt, Leann Rimes, Gretchen Wilson, Lee Ann Womack, Trisha Yearwood and more. Gill has sold more than 22 million albums, earned 18 CMA Awards, including Entertainer of the Year in 1993 and 1994, is tied with George Strait for having won the most CMA Male Vocalist Awards (five), and is currently second only to Brooks and Dunn for accumulating the most CMA Awards in history. Gill is a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and has received 18 Grammy Awards to date, the most of any male Country artist. Recently the Country Music Association announced that he will become one the newest members of the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame. Gill will be the third artist inducted in the "Career Achieved National Prominence Between 1975 and the Present" category, which was created in 2005.  

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable places anywhere to experience music – Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association’s involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational programs, community concerts and children's programming, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

SATURDAY, October 25, 2008, at 8PM

WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles



Songbook Series



AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH VINCE GILL



VINCE GILL, guitar and vocals

BILLY THOMAS, drums

PETE WASNER, piano

MIKE BUB, bass



The concert is generously supported by Acura. Complimentary parking is being offered to all Acura vehicles entering Walt Disney Concert Hall that evening.

Tickets ($36 - $97) are on sale now at the Walt Disney Concert Hall box office, online at LAPhil.com, or via credit card by phone at 323.850.2000. When available, choral bench seats ($15), will be released for sale to selected Philharmonic, Colburn Celebrity Recital, and Baroque Variations performances beginning at noon on the Tuesday of the second week prior to the concert. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall box office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For all information, please call 323.850.2000.

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