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Vince Gill Talks Secret to a Happy Marriage

They're music royalty in Nashville and seem to be the picture of marital bliss. Vince Gill and Amy Grant, longtime friends before they married in March 2000, certainly know the secret to a happy marriage and managing a blended family. (Theirs includes Vince's daughter Jenny with first wife Janis Gill, Amy's three children with first husband Gary Chapman: Matthew, Gloria and Sarah, and Vince and Amy's 8-year-old daughter Corinna.) When The Boot ran into Vince, sitting on a folding chair inside Studio A at the Grand Ole Opry, we asked him to share his insights on marriage and family.

If you could offer advice to a newlywed couple, what would it be?

I'd rather be forgiven than to be right. It's not that big a deal to be right. It took me a while to figure it out. Respect will go further than anything you can ever do.

What advice would you give to the millions of blended families?

Just be patient. Really pick your battles. Let the little stuff go. And with the kids, as an adult you have to let them come in their own time. You can't go try to be Mr. Wonderful. They'll spot you if you're a phony. I told Amy that these kids are going to see how I treat you, they're going to see how much I love you and how much I care for you. That's what their opinion of me is going to be. I just stayed the course and they all came in their own time. Some took longer than others, but I think really healthy relationships -- are they perfect? Probably not, but under the circumstances they're pretty darn great.



Would you and Amy ever agree to do a reality show about your home life?

Of course not! [laughs] The truth is there's nothing reality about them. Once you put a camera in the room, everybody acts differently. I don't care what you say, once a camera shows up, you perform for it. Somebody's watching and now it's not normal anymore. But it's so weird. It's the same in the studio. Everybody can sit and play, and there's a freedom when it's not being recorded. But once everybody says, 'OK, we're going in to record, try it again,' there's this little ounce of difference that there's somebody listening now, there's the pressure. You know what it is to me? It's an element of it that we're more interested in the worst in people.

Do you think marriage should be forever?

I think it should. Unfortunately sometimes it just doesn't work out. You can't un-ring the bell, so to speak. It's hard to know at 22 what you're going to feel like at 42 -- what life's going to do to you over the years. It's unfortunate they can't all last forever but it happens, and I'm a result of one of those and my life is a lot better.

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gwfalko7

This is the sad part about marriages today! They lack committment. It should not even cross your mind that what you will feel at 21 one will be different than 45...That is why we call it committment. If you can't keep a promise, don't make them!

December 22 2011 at 2:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
reneetrini

I think it's funny that a divorced and now re-married man who re-married a woman he admits to having at least an "emotional affair" with is giving the masses "secrets to a happy marriage". Give me a break!

August 13 2009 at 7:39 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
gingertrai

Gary Chapman has a sick mind. He has a picture of Amy (probably accidentally taken with no underwear on his myspace page.

June 22 2009 at 3:08 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Sue

My last comment was supposed to be posted as a reply to "Jo;" sorry for the confusion.

June 22 2009 at 2:19 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Sue

Whose bedroom were you in when you caught them sleeping together? Unless you saw it with your own eyes, you're ASSUMING.

June 22 2009 at 2:18 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Sue

I love Vince Gill and I have to laugh at the self-righteous fingerpointing being done by so many of the "Christians" about his marriage with Amy. They are so in love, and his and Janis' marriage was on-again, off-again for YEARS. I also remember a story about Amy in PEOPLE magazine where it mentioned the problems she and Chapman were having. Someone earlier mentioned Garth Brooks and Tricia Yearwood, too, and although I don't like either one of them, they obviously belong together. HOORAY for anyone who can find the kind of love these couples have!

June 22 2009 at 2:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
randthires1

how can all you people be so sure what happened in each of their marriages. Who says either of their spouses were without guilt. IT take two people to make a marriage work and two people to destroy it.
who knows who was cheating on who and if they were.
They both seem extremely content in their life when they are together. They are both extremely talented people. If they are happy together I think they both deserve to be happy and both of their ex's have moved on and found new partners.
Probably the truth be told they are happier too.
If they were not happy they should not spend their life being miserable.

June 21 2009 at 11:49 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
nsadotorg

im sure his ex beeeeeeeeeotch has recorded everyword of this wonderful revelation from vinny ..... "I was heart broke when i married you " she says ...truth is ...hes happier then a pup with a 12 inch pecker ....and shes a lonely liar ...and life has moved on ....YEEEEEEEEEEHAWWWWWW ...theres a book about all of this in the works ... wonder why vince doesnt talk about bangin roseanne cash while his ex old lady was knocked up with Jenny .....

June 21 2009 at 11:45 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
JO

missy biblical grounds for divorce are meant for the old testament... the Jewish population when they considered a person betrothed during courtship...and that is where divorce was allowed... never after a consumated marriage and even if you wanted to believe in that escape clause... it says to reconcile or remain single... they are living in perpetual adultery... they both have living spouses...people are so mislead... satan has done a great job in destroying Gods word in the hearts and minds of people. and he must be pleased

June 21 2009 at 10:02 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Missy

I am a Chriatian. I'm not perfect, nor do I claim to be. I am a forgiven sinner and am blessed because I am. I do not try to judge anyone. It's not my place to say that anyone but myself is going to go to heaven, because I don't know. God is the judge and All will be judged on judgement day.

But even though we are christians, we are still human, and as such, we fall short of God's will many times. And when we do, it's our brothers and sisters in Christ's place to show us in LOVE, where we have failed if we don't realize it. Because if I don't try to help them, then that is my sin to answer for on judgement day. We are to show love at all times, but if someone turns their back on God and continues to live in sin, then God will at some point turn His back on them. God gives everyone the right to choose to follow Him or not.

That said, we don't know that Amy and Vince did anything wrong before they were divorced. We don't know if they had biblical grounds to divorce. If they didn't, they should have asked God to put love back in their heart's for their spouse, because if God can speak the world into exsistance, filling someone's heat with love is easy.

I personally pray that God blesses this couple and everyone that reads this, because the bible says "for ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of the Lord."

June 21 2009 at 8:58 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply