European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 27, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Is at a town show by Mark Kinkade staff writer a Here is a popular misconception about country Star Vince Gill. Some say he s a kind of Mellow stand behind the microphone love song Balladeer better suited for Valentine s Day dedications than Rowdy barroom Boogie ing. But for roughly 2,000 mostly american concertgoers at the Barbarossa Halle in Kaiserslautern Germany Vince Gill recently proved three things he is a consummate song writer he is a musician with few equals and he can definitely sing for nearly three hours filmed the crowd through his greatest hits of the past five years. Backed by a seven piece band Gill played Lead guitar and Sang his Way through a Rowdy rough romantic and wonderful evening. The audience used to hearing the. Mellower Gill from such hits As pocket full of cold was momentarily stunned when Gill started the evening with three Brassy toe tapping dance numbers perfect for spinning your favorite girl around the dance floor. After All this is Vince Gill the Guy with the butter Rich voice and heart tugging Melody lines. Then Gill Down shifted into look at us a Mellow Ballad typical of the Gill stereotype. But just As it caught its breath Gill next swept the audience Back up with take the Money and South Side of Dixie a pair of Good Bluegrass inspired toe tappers. As the audience discovered classifying Gill is dangerous. As a Young Man growing up in Oklahoma he was washed in the rhythms and Dean picking style of Kentucky Bluegrass music. Before the concert he told reporters that his Bluegrass background makes the difference in what he does. Quot if you play Bluegrass you realize you will have a Small following Quot Gill said. Quot you get used to playing to Small audiences so you get to a Point where you Don t care How big the audience is you just want to play your  but it was Gill s easygoing style that made the evening intimate. Wearing Blue jeans and a baggy Black shirt Gill strolled Back and Forth across the stage playing his guitar like a kid with his garage band entertaining a few friends. And his ease with the audience made him particularly likable. At one Point for example a lady Seta Rose near one of Gill s speakers. The Singer picked the Rose up. Quot thank you my Darling for the Lovely Rose Quot Gill said. Quot ill sing this next song for you. Imagine what i d do for a  the audience knew they would have to wait for his greatest hit until much a amps John Bohmer in Kaiserslautern Germany. Later in the show. In fact it was the last song of a three song encore when Gill finally Sang i still believe in you a former top of the country charts hit. But when he Sang it he added a touch that made the show special. As he Sang he reached out for a Little girl who sat on her father s shoulders wearing a Cowboy hat and boots. Gill held her on his Waist As he serenaded her and 2,000 other people with his song about the. Strength of love. When he finished he kissed her Cheek and gave her Back to her father. It was a moment the Little girl will probably never forget. Neither will the rest of the audience. David Byrne Star Friday May 27, 1994 concert a songs a see pages 22 amp 23 the former talking head ploys o few european dotes in May and june. The stars and stripes closer look the Bellamy Brothers let their career after 20 years on country music a cutting c Edge the Bellamy Brothers May have found their Niche. Or maybe it has found them. Quot my brother Howard and i like to say we re  country we re not new country Quot David  Middle aged  s kind of a comfortable place to  David Bellamy the younger half of the country brother act said the Brothers have found that magical musical Sweet spot when an artist does no to need a top hit to be a Success a a it a kind of Nice to be Able to move around under the umbrella of country music a Bellamy said in a Telephone interview. Quot country music has a wider Appeal now. Its the number one radio format in the United states and we have a lot of play on various formats a while a new country radio stations and concert promoters pay homage to Garth Brooks Vince Gill and Dwight Yoakam Stalwart acts like the Bellamy keep plugging along filling Small concert Halls and Selling lots of records. Since 1975, Howard and David Bellamy have been on the billboard country charts 16 times with 12 number one hits. Let your love flow the duos first hit charted at number one in 10 different countries and you la never be sorry is one of Only nine songs in 20 years to stay on the country charts for 27 weeks. They be cranked out 21 albums in the United states including two on their own Label and they recently signed a Deal to Cut albums solely for the european Market. Now they have a 20th anniversary greatest. Hits compilation due out and they be created their own record Label to promote new artists. Pretty impressive credentials for a couple of Brothers from Florida who got their Start working As songwriters for a summer to series. In fact it was David s spiders and snakes recorded by Jim Stafford that pushed the act toward the spotlight. Quot it was a very interesting wave of Success there Bellamy said. Quot i was basically a janitor in a recording studio n Tampa working for studio time. I Cut a demo. The next thing i knew Uncle Sam was asking for taxes. That was All very strange to me because before that i was a club musician who spent most of my time starving and trying to get enough Money to buy guitar  the duo still Tours As Many As 150 shows every year in the United states he said. And Europe has Long been Bellamy country. In fact the duo is preparing a monthlong min tour of clubs in Germany Austria and Switzerland to promote their flip off the Knob album and its european counterpart nobody s perfect. As they prepare for their tour David Bellamy believes they have the Best position in country music today Quot we can to be categorized anymore Quot the one time fresh face of country music said. Quot i think people like us Are More of the second generation of country. George Jones Merle Haggard and the rest Are the older generation and they re still terrific. Now we got the Young Guys As the younger generation. Howard and i Are in the Middle  Uke older Brothers of country music Quot yeah. That a a Good Way of looking at it. We re the older Brothers a a Tittle Wiser a Little More secure but still pushing  Mark Kinkade