Vince Gill Receives 2026 Ken Burns American Heritage Prize

Vince Gill received the 2026 Ken Burns American Heritage Prize on May 6th at the American Museum Of Natural History.

The award honours individuals whose work advances understanding of the American spirit.

Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns praised Gill as “a master of his craft, a keeper of the flame, and quite simply, one of the finest souls I’ve had the privilege to work with.”

Burns noted Gill elevates country music’s “three chords and the truth” into something transcendent.

Gill expressed gratitude, saying Burns tries “to make this place better, trying to make it matter.”

Video tributes came from Sting, Rosanne Cash, Marty Stewart, Keith Urban and Amy Grant.

Gill performed “One More Last Chance” and “Whenever You Come Around” during the ceremony.

Categorised in: Country Music News

This post was written by Cheryl Johnstone