Nashville, Tenn. — Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill will segue from bandleader to troubadour on his 2008 tour that starts August 18 at the Lorain County Fair in Wellington, Ohio, and concludes November 24 in Alexandria, VA.

The tour is being billed as A Special Acoustic Evening With Vince Gill.

Accompanied only by pianist Pete Wasner and percussionist Billy Thomas, Gill will present an array of his most notable songs along with some new material, and will entertain the audience with numerous stories that reflect his notorious sense of humor and his genuine warmth.

“In 2006 and 2007, I toured with a 17-piece band so I could reproduce the sounds of These Days, the new album I’d made,” Gill explains. “And it was a lot of fun. This year, I’m not out promoting a new album so I wanted to do something really different. Recently I saw James Taylor on his tour. It was a kind of one-man band show, with just him, a piano player and all those great songs. I really enjoyed watching it and I knew I would enjoy performing in that setting as well. So I’m going to tour basically the same way—pared down and informal.” Vince Gill

Propelled by a remarkable 43-song, multi-format boxed set of Gill’s own co-compositions, the “These Days Tour” was such a smashing success that it was extended from its original closing date in December of 2006 into June of 2007. These Days, which has been certified platinum, this year won Vince Gill a Grammy, his 19th, for Best Country Album.

Here are the tour dates, cities and venues:

• Aug. 18 — Wellington, OH - Lorain County Fair
• Aug. 20 — Westbury, NY - Capital One Bank Theatre at Westbury
• Aug. 21 — Morristown, NJ - Community Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts
• Aug. 22 — Chautauqua, NY - Chautauqua Institution
• Aug. 23 — Highmount, NY - Belleayre Mountain Ski Center
• Aug. 24 — Torrington, CT - Warner Theatre
• Aug. 27 — Williamsport, PA - Community Arts Center
• Aug. 28 — Lancaster, PA - American Music Theatre
• Aug. 29 — Hyannis, MA - Cape Cod Melody Tent
• Aug. 30 — Cohasset, MA - South Shore Music Circus
• Aug. 31 — Hampton Beach, NH - Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
• Sept. 17 — Wausau, WI - Grand Theatre On Arts Block
• Sept. 18 — Joliet, IL - Rialto Square Theatre
• Sept. 19 — Arnold, MO - Rickman Auditorium
• Sept. 20 — Mason City, IA - North Iowa Community College Auditorium
• Sept. 21 — Kansas City, MO - Midland Theatre
• Sept. 23 — Ashland, KY - Paramount Arts Center
• Sept. 24 — Bloomington, IN - Indiana University Auditorium
• Sept. 25 — Wabash, IN - Honeywell Center
• Sept. 26 — Cincinnati, OH - Aronoff Center for the Arts
• Sept 27 — Muncie, IN - Emens Auditorium
• Oct. 21 — Mesa, AZ - Mesa Arts Center – Ikeda Theater
• Oct. 22 — Palm Desert, CA - McCallum Theatre For The Performing Arts
• Oct. 23 — Bakersfield, CA - Majestic Fox Theater
• Oct. 24 — Turlock, CA - Turlock Community Theatre
• Oct. 25 — Los Angeles, CA - Walt Disney Concert Hall
• Oct. 26 — Visalia, CA - Visalia Fox Theatre
• Oct. 28 — Escondido, CA - California Center for the Arts
• Oct. 29 — Santa Rosa, CA - Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
• Oct. 30 — Monterey, CA - Golden State Theatre
• Nov. 1 — Greeley, CO - Union Colony Civic Center
• Nov. 2 — Denver, CO - Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre
• Nov. 15 — Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
• Nov. 16 — Melbourne, FL - King Center for the Performing Arts
• Nov. 18 — West Palm Beach, FL - Raymond Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
• Nov. 19 — Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theatre
• Nov. 20 — Spartanburg, SC - Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium
• Nov. 21 — Salem, VA - Salem Civic Center
• Nov. 22 — Virginia Beach, VA - Sandler Center for the Performing Arts
• Nov. 23 — Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere
• Nov. 24 — Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere

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Grammy-award winning artist Vince Gill will take a lesson from another “artist” of sorts, Johnny Carrabba – who has “cooked up” a full menu for Vince to prepare for the love of his life, Amy Grant.

“The Art of Expression: A Celebration of Music, Culinary and Visual Art,” which will take place on Friday, May 9, from 6:30 - 11:00 p.m. at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. An intimate crowd of spectators will watch Johnny Carrabba, founder of Carrabba’s Italian Grill, take center stage for a cooking demonstration with Vince Gill. Guests will enjoy an assortment of food and beverages followed by an acoustic performance from Vince Gill in the Ford Theater. Tickets are $200, and proceeds from the event will benefit The Campus for Human Development and Room at The Inn, serving Nashville’s homeless community since the 1960s. Only 200 tickets are available and are on-sale beginning Friday, April 25, at 10:00 a.m. EST.

For more information on the event or to purchase tickets, please visit www.carrabbas.com.

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Nashville, Tenn. — Business leader and cultural arts activist Steve Turner, the founder of the Nashville-based investment firm Marketstreet Equities Company, was recently elected as the new chairman of the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum’s Board of Officers and Trustees. Singer-songwriter-guitar-chieftain Vince Gill was voted president for a seventh consecutive one-year term.

Retired Gaylord Entertainment CEO E. W. “Bud” Wendell, who has served seven consecutive terms as the Museum’s chairman, and Brookside Properties founder and chairman Nelson Andrews, a trustee since 1997, were honored as trustees emeriti.

Turner joined the Museum’s board in 1997 and has served as a trustee since 2000. Widely known for his philanthropy and civic leadership, he is a member of the board of trustees of the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, which opened in a new downtown facility a few weeks prior to the Museum’s nearby opening in 2001. As a member of the Nashville Symphony Association board, he chaired the building committee for the multi-million dollar Schermerhorn Symphony Center, which opened one block from the Museum in September 2006. He also serves on the board of trustees of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D. C.

E. W. “Bud” Wendell

Wendell served his first two terms as a Museum trustee from 1973 through 1979, when he resigned to focus on his growing professional responsibilities as CEO at WSM. Following Gaylord Entertainment’s acquisition of WSM and other entertainment interests in 1983, Wendell spearheaded the company’s launch of TNN. Wendell was named president and CEO of Gaylord Entertainment in 199l, and led the company through the acquisition of CMT and the launch of CMT Europe. He expanded the Opryland Hotel into Nashville’s largest convention facility and established the Opryland Music Group, which acquired and revitalized the massive Acuff-Rose publishing catalogue.

In addition, Wendell oversaw Gaylord’s $8.5 million renovation of the Ryman Auditorium and the opening of the $7.5 million Wildhorse Saloon. In 1994, Gaylord opened new corporate offices in the appropriately named E. W. Wendell Building. Wendell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1998.

Following his retirement from Gaylord in 1997, and having already raised millions for the Boy Scouts of America and United Way, Wendell volunteered to lead Bringing America’s Music Home, the $l5 million capital campaign that would partially finance a new Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, also to be located in downtown Nashville near the Ryman Auditorium and the Wildhorse Saloon. Including a $4 million “founding partner” contribution from the Ford Motor Co., which gave the Museum the green light to break ground, Wendell surpassed the campaign goal by more than $2.6 million.

Re-joining the Museum’s board in 2000, Wendell was elected chairman in 2001.

Nelson Andrews

In addition to building one of the most successful real estate firms in the southeast, Andrews has spent a lifetime contributing his business acumen and visionary leadership to numerous charitable and civic causes. He was founding president of the Nashville Better Business Bureau, Leadership Nashville, Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and the Canby Robinson Society of the Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Andrews has chaired the Tennessee Tax Structure Study Commission, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Tennessee and the Tennessee Board of Education. Currently, he chairs the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and serves on the boards of the Middle Tennessee YMCA and the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.

Last year, the Community Foundation honored Andrews with the prestigious Joe Kraft Humanitarian Award, recognizing his long-term dedication to making Middle Tennessee a better place to live.

In addition to Wendell and Andrews, the Museum’s trustees emeriti include Country Music Hall of Fame member Jim Foglesong, Richard Frank, Country Music Hall of Fame member-elect Emmylou Harris, Bruce Hinton, Ken Roberts and Janice Wendell.

New Trustees

New trustees, elected for three-year terms, include Henry Juszkiewicz, chairman and CEO, Gibson Guitar Corporation; and Ernie Williams, principal and director, Lee, Danner & Bass, Inc. Trustee Tim Wipperman was re-elected. Remaining trustees include David Conrad, Mike Curb, J. William Denny, Randy Goodman, John Grady, Keel Hunt, Kevin Lavender and Steve Turner.

New Officers

Newly elected officers include Troy Tomlinson, president and CEO, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC; and Steve Lynn, CEO, Backyard Burgers. The new board members join officers Earl Bentz, Connie Bradley, Mike Dungan, Rod Essig, Al Giombetti, Francis Guess, Lon Helton, Ken Levitan, Luke Lewis, Don Light, Mary Ann McCready, Donna Nicely, David Ross, Jody Williams and Trisha Yearwood.

CMA Chief Executive Officer Tammy Genovese remains as an ex-officio member. Chris Horsnell and Mike Milom of Milom Joyce Horsnell Crow PLC continue as the not-for-profit educational organization’s legal counsel.

Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The Museum’s mission is the preservation of the history of country and related vernacular music rooted in southern culture. With the same educational mission, the Foundation also operates CMF Records, the Museum’s Frist Library and Archive, CMF Press, Historic RCA Studio B, and Hatch Show Print.

More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is available at www.countrymusichalloffame.com

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Oklahoma City, OK - March 31, 2008 — Vince Gill performed an intimate concert Thursday night for the “Back in Class” event at the site of his first stage performance, Cleveland Arts & Science Specialty School in Oklahoma City. This time, however, the country music star graced the stage to raise $100,000 to renovate the Oklahoma City public school’s auditorium, as well as receive the 2007 Oklahoman of the Year Award from Oklahoma Today magazine, the event sponsor. The concert was a far cry from his first effort when a seven-year-old Gill performed “House of the Rising Sun.”

“The real beauty of this event is that this is the first place I played guitar and sang in front of anybody of my whole life,” says Gill. “Even though it is nice to have a night to honor me, I’m coming home to do something for someone else and make it more than just about me.”

The auditorium—renamed Vince Gill Auditorium at a student assembly earlier in the day—provided just enough room on its stage to accommodate Gill, several guitars, speakers, and long-time Gill collaborator, keyboard player Pete Wasner. The venue was devoid of the glitz and glamour normally associated with a big headliner and instead was tenderly decorated in children’s artwork inspired by Gill and his music. The 1938-built school auditorium hosted a sold-out crowd of 228 concertgoers, each paying $495 per ticket with all proceeds going towards the auditorium renovation project. “When they told me the ticket charge, I nearly spit out my Ted’s Escondido (a well-known eatery in Oklahoma City and a Gill favorite) meal,” says Gill.

Gill thrived in the elementary school environment, turning out a two-hour performance showcasing his extraordinary storytelling talent through music and personal anecdotes. Gill allowed the crowd to guide his set by taking requests directly from audience shout outs, a gathering that included Governor Brad Henry, Barry and Becky Switzer, Gill’s mother, Jerene, and sister Gina. Gill’s perfectly pitched tenor rang out over the guitar and keyboard accompaniment, with each song sounding as flawless as one of his studio recordings.

The audience cheered as Gill performed some of his greatest hits, including “When I Call Your Name,” “I Never Knew Lonely,” and “Oklahoma Borderline,” as well as new song about Route 66 set on Oklahoma City’s 39th Expressway stretch of the Mother Road. Gill told engaging stories of his Oklahoma childhood between songs, moving the audience to tear-jerking laughter with tales of his unfortunate encounter with an Oklahoma City bus driver and adventuresome driving lessons with his father. In a particularly heartwarming moment, Amy Grant, Gill’s wife and Christian recording artist, performed two songs while seated on the first row with daughter Corrina fast asleep on her lap. “I think the concert was a wonderful experience that people will never forget,” said Joan Henderson, Oklahoma Today publisher. “I hope they understand why Vince Gill is Oklahoman of the Year.”

An awards ceremony kicked off the Back in Class event, featuring a proclamation from the Oklahoma City Public Schools honoring Gill, the presentation of the 2007 Oklahoman of the Year Award by Oklahoma Today magazine, and the official announcement of Vince Gill Day from Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry.

“Oklahoma Today got it right when they named Vince Gill the 2007 Oklahoman of the Year,” said Governor Henry. “There is no one better that exemplifies the great characteristics of the state than Vince Gill.”

Gill was selected for his accomplishments in 2007, which included induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, nomination for his nineteenth Grammy award, and participation in writing and performing the Oklahoma Centennial anthem, “Oklahoma Rising.”

The ceremony also featured the presentation of $94,957 to Cleveland Elementary School principal Dr. Mary Coughlin and PTA president Virginia Holleman, who plan to use the money to renovate the auditorium by refurbishing the vintage wood folding chairs, staining the concrete floors, painting the walls, and adding new curtains, back-stage storage, audio equipment, and a lighting system. A silent auction held that evening raised nearly $5,000. “It would probably have taken us close to ten years to raise $100,000 without this event,” says Holleman. “It has been a dream come true, we’ve been pinching ourselves all day.”

Earlier in the day, Gill performed for Cleveland Elementary School students, where the country crooner was named this month’s Pick of the Litter, an honor bestowed on choice Cleveland Bulldogs. Here, Gill shined as he recounted E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web as his favorite children’s book and the trampoline as his favorite toy. He also was awarded a Pick of the Litter dog tag that he proudly wore around his neck during the evening concert. The assembly roared with excitement and energy as he sang What You Give Away with the student body and encouraged student Collin Holloway to perform guitar on stage with him. A favorite moment, as recalled by Oklahoma Today editor in chief Louisa McCune-Elmore, is when Gill encouraged the students to aim high, saying, “Dream big, you never know what will happen. I guarantee it.”

The impact of the event was summed up through poignant comments by Gill’s wife Amy Grant during the awards ceremony, who said while choking on tears, “I felt so swept up with the energy of the children singing today, encouraging kids is what really pushes Vince’s buttons.”

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The Del McCoury Band

Vince Gill is expanding his tour repertoire this summer by adding fellow Grammy-winners Amy Grant and the Del McCoury Band to his troupe. The 18-date circuit begins July 14 at Atlanta’s Chastain Park Amphitheatre and concludes Sept. 11 at Santa Ana Star Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

There are few better judges, or practitioners of bluegrass than Del McCoury. He first gained attention in the early 1960s as lead singer and guitarist for Bill Monroe’s fabled Blue Grass Boys band. In recent years, he has led his own band, aided by sons Ronnie and Rob. The Del McCoury Band, the most awarded artist in the history of Bluegrass, has nine times won the International Bluegrass Music Assn.’s Entertainer of the Year Award. In 2005, the bands CD, The Company We Keep, won the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy.

“Vince is like one of the boys. Great hair, great singer and a pretty good picker. Bluegrass has always been part of his life and it shows on stage.”Del McCoury

This year, Gill earned his 18th Grammy, this one for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, for “The Reason Why,” the debut single from “These Days”. He followed that song with his current single,”What You Give Away.”

Grant has been a vocal star since her teen years, starting in gospel and then expanding into pop music. Her pop hits include “The Next Time I Fall” (with Peter Cetera), “Baby Baby,” “Every Heartbeat” and “That’s What Love Is For.” Her gospel recordings have netted her six Grammys.

Both Grant and the Del McCoury Band were prominent players in the recording of “These Days”, making guest appearances on four of the tracks.

Vince Gill & Friends Tour w/ Del McCoury Band
8/29 Minnesota Fair Grounds - St Paul, MN
8/30 Aggie Theatre - Ft Collins, CO (DMB date only)
8/31 Deer Valley Amphitheater - Park City, UT
9/1 Casper Events Center - Casper, WY
9/2 Villages at Copper Mountain - Frisco, CO
9/5 Britt Pavilion - Medford, OR
9/6 Concerts At Wente Vineyard - Livermore, CA
9/7 Ironstone Amphitheatre - Murphys, CA
9/8 Greek Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
9/9 Fantasy Springs Casino - Indio, CA
9/11 Santa Ana Star Center - Rio Ranche NM

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