Stephens shakes hands with her favorite musical artist, Vince Gill

By By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
March 11, 2003
Jewell Stephens was still on Cloud 9 Monday after meeting her favorite musical artist, Vince Gill, in Biloxi.
She wore a black T-shirt with Gill's picture on the front and his current scheduled tour dates posted on the back, a souvenir from the Saturday night concert at the Beau Rivage Resort &Casino.
No longer does she have to settle for the life-size cardboard cutout of Gill that stands in her room at the Queen City Nursing Center.
The concert trip was a birthday gift from her children. Stephens recently turned 86 years old and the arrangements to meet Gill were made through Carla White, social worker at the nursing center.
White contacted employees of Beau Rivage, who worked out the arrangements with Gill's employees. She said her social work had never taken a turn quite like that before.
Gill, a 14-time Grammy Award winner, is currently on tour promoting his latest compact disc release, "Next Big Thing."
Stephens said Gill played all the songs she hoped he would and she said she would like to go see him again.
Stephens has four grown children. Her daughter, Kay Burrage, and one of her sons, Tony Stephens and his wife, Calie, all attended the concert.
As the concert was ending, Stephens and her son, Tony, were given backstage passes and told where to go to meet the entertainer after the concert.
She said her mother has been a country music fan from way back.
The late Cecil Stephens passed away in 1972. She said Vince Gill sort of reminds her of him.