When I Call Your Name (CD - 1989)

Personnel: Vince Gill (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, background vocals); Reba McEntire (vocals); Randy Scruggs, Fred Tackett (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Barry Beckett (piano); Pete Wasner (keyboards); Eddie Bayers (drums); Emmylou Harris, Kathie Baillie, Harry Stinson, Herb Pedersen, Patty Loveless, Anthony Crawford, Billy Thomas (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Steve Marcantonio.

Recording information: Emerald Studio.

Photographer: Beverly Parker.

Though it announced Vince Gill's arrival as a major solo artist, WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME, the Oklahoma native's 1989 debut for MCA, was hardly the beginning of his career. With a reputation as both proficient guitarist and singer, Gill performed with many country acts (including Pure Prairie League and Rodney Crowell) and recorded several albums prior to this release. Still, Gill's earnest, charming persona found a perfect match in laid-back, pop-inflected tunes such as the gorgeous title track (featuring Patty Loveless) and the aching "Never Knew Lonely." WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME also features a rollicking nod to old-fashioned country on "Oklahoma Swing," a lively duet with Reba McEntire that also serves to showcase Gill's formidable six-string skills. Eventually going double platinum, the record cemented Gill's status as a star, and kicked off a remarkably successful run that would culminate in '92's I STILL BELIEVE IN YOU.

Vince Gill left RCA after The Way Back Home in 1987. Tony Brown signed him to MCA shortly thereafter, and When I Call Your Name served as Gill's MCA debut and the beginning of his long association with the label and with Brown as a producer. Gill, already a seasoned pop musician and Nashville session player, brought with him the ability to write terrific songs and play the hell out of a guitar, along with a sweet-looking face and a killer voice. Brown set out to make him a star and pretty much succeeded the first time out, and in the early 21st century Gill is still racking them up on the charts. He served as contemporary country music's first real star and, along with the more traditional George Strait (another longtime survivor and hitmaker), was a true and respectful link to the music's long heritage. The first track to score on this set was "Oklahoma Swing," a smoking Western swing duet with Reba McEntire written by Tim DuBois, who also wrote an even bigger hit with the title track that paired Gill with Patty Loveless. Gill also did serviceable covers of Guy Clark's (then an RCA staff songwriter) classic "Rita Ballou" and "Sight for Sore Eyes," and Rosanne Cash's "Never Alone," which opened the disc. He also covered the criminally underappreciated Greg Trooper's midtempo ballad "We Won't Dance." Gill's own tunes, for perhaps the only time in his career, were used as filler on the album -- he wrote three of ten -- but he still managed a beauty with the gorgeous romantic stroller "Oh Girl (You Know Where to Find Me)." When I Call Your Name serves as the testament to Gill's arrival as a star and an enduring part of the country music legacy. ~ Thom Jurek minimize