Country Music Memories: Vince Gill Wins Three CMA Awards

Twenty-nine years ago (Oct. 5, 1994) was a day of celebration for Vince Gill. It was on that date that the singer took home three CMA Awards, at the 28th annual ceremony.

Gill won for Male Vocalist of the Year; Album of the Year, for his part in the tribute album Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles; and the night’s highest honor, Entertainer of the Year, although he admits that he didn’t think of the win as that big of a deal.

“To me, entertainment was always somebody who just stood there, sang great and played their a– off. That was entertainment to me,” the Oklahoma native tells the Country Music Association. “But when I saw that I’d won that award, I went, ‘I don’t know if I see myself as that, because other people do that far better than I, with more bells and whistles and everything.'”

Gill had also earned two other nominations at the 1994 CMA Awards, both in the Album of the Year category. He was nominated for his part in Asleep at the Wheel‘s Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys album and his own Rhythm, Country and Blues record.

The country icon didn’t have to walk far to receive his trophies: The singer returned for the third time that year to serve as the host of the ceremony, which aired live from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. It was, however, Gill’s first time hosting solo; he hosted with Reba McEntire in 1992 and shared duties with Clint Black in 1993. Gill hosted or co-hosted the CMA Awards every year from 1992 to 2003, a streak matched only by Carrie Underwood.

This story was originally written by Gayle Thompson, and revised by Annie Zaleski.

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