by Deborah Evans-Price - The Boot

Surrounded by family and friends, Vince Gill celebrated a special milestone on Saturday night, his 20th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

"I spent so many years struggling and never knowing if any of this would ever happen for me," Vince told The Boot backstage before the show. "When a couple hits finally turned up in 1990 and allowed me the opportunity to get invited out here, it meant the world to me. If you ever strum a guitar, play three chords and sing a hillbilly song, this is the mecca. This is the place you dream of getting to come and it doesn't get any better." Sharing the night with Vince were his daughter, Jenny, his wife, Amy Grant, and a cast of Opry favorites including Little Jimmy Dickens, The Whites, Bill Anderson, Jean Shepard, The Time Jumpers, Martina McBride and Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-Press.

"He's been a great, great ambassador for our business," John Anderson told The Boot backstage. "If anybody has done the Grand Old Opry good in the last 20 years, it's been Vince Gill. Of course, you can't say enough about Tater and Porter and those guys, but Vince is one of the guys who'll carry the torch in an honorable and right way. He's a great writer, a great singer and a great player and a very hard worker. He's a very good man. I'm flattered to be here this evening. It's a pleasure to be here in honor of Brother Vince. I wish him 20 more great years. If anybody's got 'em coming, he does."

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