Vince Gill certainly earned his nickname of the “Nicest Guy in Nashville,” as Gill’s guitarist learned when he had to tell his bandleader that he was quitting to play with Joe Walsh. Vince Gill is one of several musical icons Tom Bukovac has toured with, including Tanya Tucker, Faith Hill, and John Fogerty. Bukovac is also a prolific session player, tracking guitar parts on albums by the Black Keys, Glen Campbell, Morgan Wallen, Stevie Nicks, Kenny Loggins, and many, many more.
You don’t get to be on the music industry short-list by flaking out of obligations. So, when Bukovac called up Gill to, well, do just that, the “When I Call Your Name” singer had every right to be a little taken aback—downright peeved, even. But much to Bukovac’s relief, that’s exactly the opposite of how Gill reacted.
Vince Gill’s Guitarist Recalls Telling Him He Was Quitting For Joe Walsh
The old adage about success in the music industry not relying on “what you know, but who you know” is an adage for a reason. While there are certainly exceptions to this rule, being friends of a friend to someone in need of a player can be a priceless stepping stone in a musician’s career. Such was the case for Tom Bukovac, who had been friends with fellow guitarist Joe Vitale for over two decades, when he got a call about possibly stepping in as Joe Walsh’s rhythm guitar player in 2017.
“I remember [Joe] texting me, saying, ‘Buko, call me; I got some work for you,’” Bukovac recalled in a 2023 interview with Otis Gibbs. “I remember him saying that, and I was like, ‘Oh, geeze, I wonder if it’s a session or something, you know.’” As it turns out, Vitale was gauging interest in Bukovac replacing Waddy Wachtel on Joe Walsh’s upcoming tour. Wachtel, Vitale explained, was booked with Stevie Nicks.
Bukovac told Vitale he already committed to playing on another Vince Gill tour. But Walsh was Bukovac’s guitar hero, especially being a Cleveland native himself. So, the guitarist called up Gill, beating around the bush as he tried to summarize the phone call he just had with Vitale. “I didn’t want to really come out and say it, you know,” Bukovac said. “[Vince is] like, ‘Joe Walsh called you to play?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah.’” Bukovac said Gill replied, “‘You got to go do that, man.’ He was super cool about it. Vince is the coolest. Super understanding about that.”
The Country Icon Knew The Rock ‘n’ Roller’s Influence Firsthand
Being a bandleader is stressful. When one player quits, it’s usually up to the front person to find a suitable replacement with enough speed and accuracy so as not to jeopardize gigs already on the calendar. When Tom Bukovac stepped down from a major tour with Vince Gill one year before it happened, it would have been within reason for Gill to react angrily, or at least exasperatedly. But he knew firsthand just how influential Joe Walsh was (and how big of an opportunity this would be for Bukovac) because Gill, too, spent his teen years admiring Walsh’s work.
“I don’t know if he realizes it or not, but he was a huge influence on me as a teenage kid trying to figure out how to play guitar,” Gill said in a 2025 interview at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. “I sat in my room, and me and my best friend, Benny, learned how to play “Rocky Mountain Way” and “Walk Away” and “Funk 49.” All those things from James Gang long before he ever joined the Eagles. He played in a way that I liked, and I emulated, and I tried to learn.”
Coincidentally, Vince Gill would join the Eagles as Glenn Frey’s replacement in 2017, the same year Gill’s guitarist, Tom Bukovac, toured with Joe Walsh and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. So, as stressful as Bukovac quitting might have been for Gill for a day or two, we’d say getting to accomplish their mutual dreams of playing with Walsh, their childhood hero, was cool enough to soothe any friction that, honestly, wasn’t likely to come from someone named the nicest guy in Nashville.
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