Vince Gill isn't shy about his love of impersonations. He's been practicing the art for years, now, but it hasn't come without some close calls.
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The Eagles guitarist has spoken on a couple of occasions about times where he thought he'd be getting in trouble for his impersonations. Once with Country Music Hall of Fame Member Bill Anderson, and another with The Sopranos actor James Gandolfini.
When Vince Gill Bumped Into Bill Anderson
When being interviewed by the Country Music Hall of Fame, Vince Gill told the story of meeting Bill Anderson for the first time. After a slew of impersonations on his Code-A-Phone.
Back when velociraptors were still prowling, people had telephone answering machines, like the Code-A-Phone, where you could leave a message for people trying to call you.
Ever the impressionist, Vince Gill impersonated Bill Anderson for his message. It said, "Hello, this is whisperin' Gill. I'm not here right now. I'm out doin' whatever, but if you'd like to leave a message, please do and I'll call you back. I'm busy writin' 'City Lights.'"
And honestly, the impression wasn't too bad.
Well, somehow, word reached Anderson that Gill had impersonated him for his answering machine.
When Gill first met Anderson at the Grand Ole Opry, he thought he was in for some trouble. "He saw me, and I went 'Oh crap,'" he remembered. "I'm in trouble."
Despite Gill's efforts to evade Bill Anderson, he caught up. But he wasn't angry. He requested an impression on the spot, and they remained friends.
When James Gandolfini Appreciated Vince Gill's Talents
Vince Gill once spoke to iHeartCountry, where he shared a lighter impersonation story involving the iconic The Sopranos actor, James Gandolfini.
Back in 2005, Vince Gill attended the CMA awards, one that James Gandolfini was a presenter for. As Vince Gill was set to present a segment, both of them were sitting in the same area in the audience.
When Gill got up to present, he adopted the signature New York Italian-American accent. Just for fun, of course, but someone James Gandolfini was with turned around to the actor and said, "I didn't know he was from here."
Gandolfini gave Gill the thumbs-up they passed each other, by saying, "Hey, that was pretty good."
