May 13, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Louisa McCune-Elmore, Editor in Chief
(405) 230-8450, office
VINCE GILL NAMED
2007 OKLAHOMAN OF THE YEAR
OKLAHOMA
CITY – Oklahoma
Today,
the magazine of Oklahoma since 1956, has named country music superstar
Vince Gill the Oklahoman of the Year for 2007. The feature story on
Gill appears in the January/February 2008 issue.
Gill, a 1975 graduate of Northwest Classen High School in Oklahoma City,
was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October. Last
year, he and Jimmy Webb collaborated to produce “Oklahoma Rising,”
the popular anthem that honors the Oklahoma Centennial.
According to longtime friend Lee Allan Smith, “Gill has done too many
things for Oklahoma to count, from hosting the Vince Gill Celebrity
Golf Tournament, which raises money to support Special Care, a development
and care center for children, to his support in the aftermath of the
bombing of the Murrah building and countless fundraising
appearances."
No stranger to success, Vince Gill’s long career has earned him a number
of accolades, including twenty-four million in record sales, eighteen
Grammy awards, five consecutive Country Music Association Male Vocalist of
the Year awards, and four CMA Song of the Year awards.
“Vince Gill is the kind of man we all want to claim as a brother, a
husband, a son, or a father,” says Louisa McCune-Elmore, editor in chief
of Oklahoma
Today.
“He's utterly talented, an inspiration to all he encounters, and a
mentor for how to succeed in the competitive world of country music. A
musical giant, he’s also still completely connected to home. We are
thrilled to at last honor Vince for not only being an extraordinary man
but for being the face of the Oklahoma Centennial as well.”
The issue, available now at oklahomatoday.com, will appear on newsstands in January. Please contact Louisa McCune-Elmore at (405) 306-5939 for more information.
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