HOTEL OKLAHOMA

VINCE GILL HAS BEEN PLAYING the guitar for 55 of his 62 years. His virtuosic and sweetly expressive solos — whether flatpicked or played finger-style — have graced more than 20 genre-spanning studio albums that have earned him 21 Grammy awards and just about every honor the Country Music Association has come up with. Asked if he feels like he has anything more to prove, the easy-going guitarist laughs gently and says, “Probably not. I’ve had a good run.” He pauses a little before expanding on his answer: “I mean, there’s still a lot that I can’t do on the guitar — we could fill a book with it. But a while ago I reached the point where I said, ‘I’m just going to play what’s necessary.’ That comes with age and experience. You don’t think like that when you’re young, but it’s a peaceful place to be. I’m content to say what I want on the guitar, and I can leave it at that.”

At an age where most guitarists might give thought to easing their workloads, Gill has been pulling triple