Amy Grant and Vince Gill had been navigating a rocky and broken road separately. And, the one important thing they have in common was what let their paths cross. That meeting was indeed very magical. Right there and then, they began a journey together that provided more sense to their lives. Their love of music and for each other only grow stronger through the years. As they are a prominent couple in the music industry, the impact that their love story had on fans is as intense as their musical legacy. Although it wasn’t an easy road for them considering the criticisms they’ve encountered along the way, they’re always working their way to keep the love between them stronger than anything else. Keep on reading, folks, and be moved by Amy Grant and Vince Gill’s inspiring love story.
Love at First Sight
It all started in 1993. Amy Grant and Vince Gill met for a particular purpose. That is to record a video for their duet song, “House of Love.” Unexpectedly, that recording studio they’ve shared turned into a “house of love” as the romance between them sparked at first sight. It was Amy who’s the first and very much open to admit it.
“I think that a part of me loved him instantly, I felt like I knew him instantly. I was so moved by him as a human being that I went up behind him and just hugged him as hard as I could while he was singing.”
On the other hand, Vince couldn’t forget the lovely face and smile of Amy. As a matter of fact, he was amazed at the core that he wrote a song for her after that first meeting. “Whenever You Come Around” was inspired by Amy’s smile – a lovely thing he saw on the face of a woman he’d met for the first time. Vince performed the song during a show at the Ryman in 2015 and confessed how this tune came about. It was Amy Grant’s smile that gave birth to the song back in 1993. He added,
“I was so inspired, moved by the sight of that smile, that I came home and wrote this song. I had no idea that all these years later we’d wind up together, have kids… Life’s funny.”
There’s no denying the strong feelings that arose between them at the first glance. But as they’re both committed to their respective partners, they still wanted to stay true to their marriages. Yet, they kept each other in their thoughts. For Vince Gill, he even hoped for a chance of being together someday and he never let go of such.
Separate Lives, Same Passion
Before Amy Grant and Vince Gill met, they were living their own lives with their own families. Amy was married to fellow contemporary Christian music artist Gary Chapman whom she met at the party set for the release of her second album in 1979. They were married for 15 years and had three children. Despite being together for that number of years, Amy Grant revealed that her relationship with her husband had been on the rocks from the very start.
“I’d been holding steady for 15 years in something that was not easy to hold steady,” Amy admits.
Likewise, Vince Gill was married to Janis Oliver, also a country music artist. Both were starting out in country music at the time they met. They tied the knot in 1980 and Oliver bore their only daughter, Jenny, two years later.
Love of Music
While their musical interests differ in genre, the fact that Amy Grant and Vince Gill are musically inclined remains. Hence, even their previous partners were also into this industry. And it’s this passion that brought them together. But prior to their first meeting, they’ve already established themselves in the music industry. At that time, Vince Gill was already considered a country music icon having produced a string of hits on the country chart and won multiple awards. Likewise, Amy’s name was extremely famous in Christian music and was also a multi-award artist herself. She recorded her first album while still in high school and had quit college to focus on singing.
Respective Honors and Legacy
Both Amy Grant and Vince Gill were among the most decorated names in the music industry. The number of singles and albums that each produced as well the accolades they’ve garnered since they started recording brought significant impact to the music scene.
Vince Gill has worked his way up to become a bankable guest vocalist and a duet partner. He started playing with the country-rock band The Prairie League in the 1970s and began a solo career in 1983. Since then, the singer had produced more than 20 studio albums and over 40 songs that entered the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Among the accolades he brought home were 18 CMA Awards. He was a two-time recipient of the organization’s Entertainer of the Year Award and won the title Male Vocalist of the Year five times. Moreover, he holds the title for bagging the most number of Grammy Awards (a total of 21 as of 2017). He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Guitar Center Rock Walk in 2016.
For her part, Amy Grant has equally reached momentous points in her career. Dubbed as “The Queen of Christian Pop,” Amy’s contribution to this music genre can never be discounted. That is not to mention her massive success when she crossed over to pop music. Her burning passion for music earned her 22 Gospel Music Association Awards and six Grammy Awards. Likewise, she had the Christian album go platinum for the first time ever. In 2006, she received a star from Hollywood Walk of Fame in honor of her contributions to the entertainment business.
A Budding Romance, Controversies, and Divorces
After their first meeting in 1993, Amy Grant and Vince Gill went on performing together on several Christmas shows. During those collaborations, their friendship had grown deeper and slowly bud into a romance. The emotional connection between them both on and off the stage became undeniable. This growing closeness between them spurred controversies as the public started to misinterpret it. Yet, both dismissed the issue of infidelity and even agreed to sign affidavits affirming such.
In 1997, Vince’s wife filed for divorce after failing to convince him to cut his ties with Amy. When Amy learned about this through a newspaper, she was struggling with her marital adversities. She and Gary even tried marriage counseling but to no avail. Seeing their marriage going nowhere, they started a divorce negotiation in 1998. The following year, their marriage had officially ended.
As expected, the untying of both marriages had upset many of their fans, especially Amy. It even had a slight adverse impact on her commercial success as some Christian radio stations stopped playing her music. And their union shortly after had been surrounded with bad publicity. Likewise, Amy’s religious faith became a subject of criticisms. But with all of those issues, Amy remained mum and positive.
“I had to trust that eventually, everything was going to be OK,” Amy said.
The Union
The year after Amy’s divorce became final, Amy Grant and Vince Gill began dating and had been open about it. And in March 2000, the couple finally got married on a rainy hill outside Nashville. Their happy-ever-after journey commerced in a fairy-tail-like ceremony where Amy was barefoot and bagpipes wailing.
The union of their families came shortly after the wedding. Vince’s only daughter, Jenny, who was already 17 at that time joined Amy’s children – Matt (12), Millie (10), and Sarah (7). The new family then happily moved into a new home in Nashville. The thought of having another child came about upon the children’s encouragement. Vince believed that their bond as a family would even get fortified if he and wife Amy had one thing in common. And so, a new blessing in their lives came two days after their first wedding anniversary. Their daughter Corrina was born.
“It’s really been an amazing gift to us all to have something in common that we could all love equally and not have any baggage of past or anything,” Amy said about Corrina’s birth.
Living Together
The kind of life that Amy Grant and Vince Gill chose to live is something far from everyone’s expectations. While they’re both megastars, they prefer living in an old-fashioned country home. But, such was decided on purpose. It was kind of a haven for both families and their musical interests. They’ve put up a home studio where they write and record music together.
A sense of natural ease has been so apparent in their partnership. Yet, as no relationship is perfect, they have their fair share of misunderstandings and awkward moments. Amy Grant reveals her husband’s quick temper and her stubbornness during long days. She added that having gone through a failed marriage, both learned their lessons.
‘Through our early lives, we came to understand that you make the choices you make, and if those screw up, then you learn to make new choices. Somebody who has been in a very bad wreck is going to be very conscientious about not speeding through a yellow light….You just learn so many good lessons when you go through a failed marriage. If we had married at 21 and 24, it would have been completely different.”
Seven months after their wedding, Amy Grant made a statement to CNN magazine to clarify the issues surrounding her divorce with Chapman and marriage with Vince.
“I didn’t get a divorce because “I had a great marriage and then along came Vince Gill”. Gary and I had a rocky road from day one. I think what was so hard—and this is (what) one of our counselors said—sometimes an innocent party can come into a situation, and they’re like a big spotlight. What they do is reveal, by comparison, the painful dynamics that are already in existence.”
Since Amy Grant and Vince Gill began singing together, they seem inseparable onstage. In fact, Vince claimed that since Amy’s first guest appearance on his Christmas TV special, such collaboration has become a regular gig for them. That’s in addition to their touring partnership.
House of Love
Again, “House of Love” was the song that paved the way for Amy-Vince’s romance and eventual marriage. The song was the title track and second single of Amy’s ninth studio album of the same name. Amy Grant and Vince Gill recorded the tune together that was released in November 1994. It has a moderate performance on the chart. Despite missing the Christian radio charts, it peaked at No. 5 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Taking aside its chart performances, “House of Love” left a lasting memory for both Amy Grant and Vince Gill. Their recording session for the song was when the couple first spent their meaningful time together. In 2014, the couple performed the song live at the Ryman Auditorium.
The Album
House of Love was released as a follow-up to Amy’s quintuple-platinum album Heart in Motion. Just like the latter, this album consists of singles that combine pop music with Christian values. It just failed to reach the success of the earlier release in terms of sales. When Amy signed to a new label, EMI/Sparrow Records in 2007, House of Love was remastered and reissued subsequently.
Other Songs they Performed Together
Aside from “House of Love,” Amy Grant and Vince Gill performed together several other songs. Such an example was the tune called “True Love.” Amy wrote it for Vince but he also had some contributions to its lyrics. Another song which they regularly perform at the Ryman Auditorium was a holiday classic entitled “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” Meanwhile, the two also recorded a few Christian hymns including “Rock of Ages” which was included on Amy’s 11th Christian chart-topping album Rock of Ages…Hymns and Faith. Meanwhile, Vince recently composed a song for his wife entitled “When My Amy Prays” which he performed at the Universal Music Group Nashville’s annual luncheon last year.
Keeping the Love Alive for 18 Years
Despite the long and winding road that they’ve endured in the past, both Amy Grant and Vince Gill were able to keep their relationship strong and growing through the years. For 18 years of being together as husband and wife, the two remained crazily in love with each other. When asked about their secret to having a great marriage, their answers were as many yet and basic. Being able to laugh together, spend quality time together, trusting each other, and having a fabulous sex life were just a few of what they’ve mentioned.
One important thing that helped them forge a fantastic marriage was their ability to turn their relationship issues into personal ground rules. Both admitted that while these rules appear simple, they’re quite challenging when applied. Knowing when not to talk was the first on their guideline list. Communication was essential in any relationship but it’s also necessary to know when not to speak. Next in line was being ready to pinpoint a problem. This rule can help both parties identify something is wrong and needs to be worked out. Another important rule is keeping their faith. Amy Grant and Vince Gill share the same philosophy on giving back. It’s just natural for them to help others. And their acts of generosity all come out of relationships as Amy claimed. She further stated,
“Life is about investing in people. And then tragedy strikes, and it pulls you together, and then you reinvest, and it’s a constant cycle.”
With much certainty, Vince agreed with her saying,
“I hadn’t set out to be the Giver of All Things,” he says. “It’s just, people ask. And we say yes more.”
Notwithstanding the denunciation from the public that they had to face, they’re eventually become one of the powerhouse couples in the music industry. While they have a responsibility to nurture their wonderful family, they never left their fans and continue to delight them with their music.