Vince Gill photo courtesy of MCA Nashville.
Jan. 7, 2009 — Vince Gill made a surprise guest appearance Sunday night at the Jonas Brothers’ concert in Nashville, and he turned around the next night and played another unannounced date, bringing along former "American Idol" contestant Jordin Sparks to sing with the Time Jumpers.
The group, a western-swing ensemble that was nominated a year ago for a Grammy award, performs regularly at the Station Inn, a tiny bluegrass club in downtown Music City. According to WKRN, Jordin met Vince at the Jonas Brothers’ show and was persuaded to attend the Time Jumpers’ date, where she sat in with the band on the Patsy Cline classic "Crazy."
It was actually a double-bonus for the Jump crew, which was featured the same day in a segment on NPR’s well-regarded All Things Considered. Featuring such musicians as steel guitarist Paul Franklin, bass player Dennis Crouch, Riders In The Sky guitarist Ranger Doug Green and fiddler Kenny Sears, the Time Jumpers’ individual members have played on recordings by the likes of Alison Krauss, Shania Twain and Alan Jackson. Their shows have drawn such notable guests as Reba McEntire, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and Ronnie Dunn.
TheTime Jumpers cram roughly 10 musicians onto the tiny stage at the Station Inn, meaning they split the purse into pretty small fragments. Clearly, they don’t do it for the money.
"This is my therapy," Ranger Doug told NPR. "My relaxation. This is when I get together with the people I really like and play music I really love. I don't have to front the band and remember jokes and make up the set list and drive 500 miles. I just get to show up and play with people I respect enormously. It's just inspiring."
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