Amid the #SaladGate controversy, Vince Gill throws his support behind female talent.
Country icon Vince Gill‘s credentials are extraordinary; he’s been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, has sold more than 26 million albums, and possesses an insane amount of Grammy, ACM, and CMA awards— So when he speaks, people need to listen.
The legendary crooner has been talking about the lack of female representation on country radio way before radio consultant Keith Hill opened his trap and stated that stations should limit female artist airplay to about 15% of total content in order to secure better ratings.
In an interview with Houston Press last week, the beloved singer-songwriter openly spoke out on the side of encouraging musical diversity.
“That’s one of the greatest tragedies in this stretch of life for me,” Gill reflected. “Because I’ve been inspired as much or more by women artists, equally, than I have as men. So if there’s only a couple that are getting the opportunity to really knock it out of the park at radio, then you just go, “What about Patsy Cline/Kitty Wells/Tammy Wynette/Loretta Lynn?’
“I could go on and on and on and on and name you about 50 great female artists,” Gill continued. “And I don’t know why that is. To me, they’re making much more…interesting records. They’re saying more things I’d prefer to hear, lyrically and song-wise, and that’s compelling. This Ashley Monroe kid, she writes songs like she’s 80 years old. It’s remarkable, and it’s not dumbing it down. It’s not going for the lowest common denominator. It’s so refreshing, you know?”
True to his statements championing female artists, Gill recently wrapped up producing Monroe’s second solo album, The Blade, which will drop July 24th. Fans can catch Gill on tour through November and will once again perform a string of Christmas shows in Nashville with his wife, Amy Grant, this December.
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