Vince Gill’syear-long project, 50 Years From Home (MCA),continues to roll out with the release of Brown’s Diner Bar, the third EP of the critically-acclaimed series. The previous two releases from this ambitious endeavor include I Gave You Everything I Had (October 17, 2025) and Secondhand Smoke (November 14, 2025).
“There’s such a really almost bizarre connection to this 50 year mark. The second record I ever made was in 1975 here in Nashville. That would have been the first time I ever went to Brown’s Diner Bar to get a cheeseburger. And so the parallel is really interesting and it kind of continues. And I didn’t, I don’t think I intended that, but what’s really beautiful is the arc of what keeps coming back to my consciousness of, well, that happened 50 years ago.”
“I think that as a songwriter, you have to have lived some life to understand what you’re writing about,” says Gill. “You need some years under your belt to have the perspective to look back and really remember things. I know I don’t have as much time left as I’ve had to this point, so everything matters more. There’s a much deeper connection to these lyrics than I would have ever imagined. They’re truthful and they’re real, and I think the songs are about things people can grasp and understand and relate to.”
Perspective reigns within these six new tracks and the additional catalog track, “When I Call Your Name.” (Complete track listing below.)
Penned by Gill, the title track of Brown’s Diner Bar, in fact, takes him all the way back — 50 years to when he first visited the famed Nashville eatery he’s immortalizing in song. “It’s a singer-songwriter kind of folk song about…this little hamburger joint,” says Gill, who also provides a smooth electric guitar solo on the track. “It’s been in Nashville for 100 years now, and I’ve been going for 50. When I made my first trip to Nashville in the mid-70s I remember going to Brown’s for a cheeseburger; they’re famous for being really good cheeseburgers. It’s a funky little joint, close to Music Row, so tons of singers and songwriters and musicians turn up there. It’s just a great vibe.”
Gill co-wrote the sentimental “Not Having You Around” with longtime friend Leslie Satcher, during the days of the pandemic. “She just dropped by unannounced,” Gill recalls. “She got out of the car, and she said, ‘Junior,’ that’s her nickname for me, ‘are you seeing people?’ I said, ‘Hell yes! If something’s gonna kill me, it might as well be you.’ She said, ‘We’re writing that…right now!’ So, she came in and we came up with that song from that idea, if something’s gonna kill me, it’d be not having you around.”
Gill teamed with Wade Bowen to pen “This Lonesome Old Cowboy,” a waltz that’s more romantic than rustling, and worked with Waylon Payne — son of longtime Willie Nelson guitarist Jody Payne and country singer Sammi Smith, and currently part of Nelson’s Family band — to co-write “Nobody Knows,” a country-flavored song that would fit smoothly into the Eagles’ repertoire.
For the self-penned “Young Again,” Gill strikes a weepy country tone while making a strong point. “Ain’t nobody ever gonna stick a needle in me and unpuff my eyes or mess with my cheeks or anything,” he says. “You see everybody trying to stay young and do things to themselves to make them stay relevant. I just love the sentiment in that song — ‘There’s still a fire but no desire to be young again.’ That feels right on time for me; I’m 68, and that mirror doesn’t lie. It’s not the kindest thing in the world, but I would never go back. I don’t think I would undo the mistakes I made, either, because you learn more from your mistakes than you do from your successes.”
And that’s a particular perspective that Gill feels is at the heart of the entire 50 Years From Home series. “It’s the truth,” he says, “and I think the truth is the easiest thing to write.”
Gill came together with contemporary hitmaker ERNEST and Jake Worthington for the aching heartstring-tugger “I’m Selling All My Memories.”
And as he has on the other 50 Years EPs, Gill closes Brown’s Diner Bar with a nod to the past, in this case 1989’s “When I Call Your Name,” the Top 5, gold-certified title track of his third album, co-written with Tim DuBois. “Once again, I tried to put a song on there that’s in the same world as what the previous six songs were, and something that follows well and sits with it and sequences well,” he explains. “I still love sequencing an album, still love a certain song following a certain song following a certain song. I just keep plugging in one after another until it feels like it flows really well.”
For fans who would like to hear more about the making of Brown’s Diner Bar, they can tune in to the ongoing YouTube podcast series, 50 Years From Home with Vince Gill and Charlie Worsham. Episode 3 is available today.
Brown’s Diner Bar comes in the wake of Gill’s latest career honor, the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award presented to him by George Strait on November 19, live during the CMA Awards on ABC. But as the six new songs here prove, the creative achievements are still coming for Gill, just as they have for the past 50 years.
ABOUT VINCE GILL:
One of the most popular artists in modern country music, Vince Gill is famous for his top-notch songwriting, world-class guitar playing and warm, soaring tenor, all wrapped up in a quick and easy wit. Gill achieved his big breakthrough in 1990 with “When I Call Your Name,” which won both the Country Music Association’s (CMA) Single and Song of the Year awards as well as a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male. In total, Gill has won 18 CMA Awards, 22 Grammy Awards, and 8 Academy of Country Music Awards, and in 2025 was presented with the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1991, Gill was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and in 2007 was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2012 he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A gifted songwriter, Gill’s compositions earned him entry into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and the prestigious BMI Icon award in 2014. Throughout his career, he has released 21 albums, sold over 30 million albums, and charted 45 singles. In 2022, Gill was inducted into the Musician’s Hall of Fame. Always considering himself a musician above all else, Gill has over the years been a part of some iconic bands, including Pure Prairie League, The Notorious Cherry Bombs, and The Time Jumpers. In 2017, Gill was asked to join the Eagles on the road, and he continues to be a part of that historic band’s tour. 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of Gill leaving home to pursue a career in music. To honor that milestone, he signed a lifetime contract with his record label MCA, and is releasing an EP series of brand-new music every month for a year, titled 50 Years from Home.
Contacts:
For Vince Gill:
Alison Auerbach / AAPR / alisonapr@aol.com / 615.957.4670
Erin Morris Huttlinger / Morris Public Relations / erin@morrispr.biz / 615.419.9988
For MCA:
Ailie Birchfield / ailie.birchfield@umusic.com
