Vince Gill Sings Praises of Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle, who became the breakout media darling of this season's 'Britain's Got Talent,' may have placed second in the competition, but she captured the hearts of millions of viewers all over the world. Country icon Vince Gill is one fan who thinks Susan is a breath of fresh air in the world of reality competition shows where it's not always the most talented who flourish.

"You could take 'American Idol' (for example) and say there's just as many people that would tune in to see somebody be awful and laugh at them," Vince pondered backstage at the Grand Ole Opry Saturday night, where he performed with banjo aficionado Steve Martin.

"She showed this world such an amazing lesson ... I was guilty. I watched her, and that ragamuffin hair comes out, and the way she was dressed, and I go, 'Oh, this is going to be hysterical,'" Vince admits to The Boot. "She opened her mouth, started singing, and I had these big tears come in my eyes. I said, 'Man, I was what I despise right then! But it was, once again, a great testament to the words, 'Don't judge a book by its cover.' Everybody says, 'Well, country music ... you didn't used to have to be this or that.' I go, 'No, you look at Johnny Cash at 22, Merle Haggard at 25 -- look at any of those guys, and they were studs.' Same for the gals, more often than not, an element of appearance was part of it."

Vince is now gearing up for a June 8 concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., paying tribute to wounded military personnel. The evening also marks the kick-off for Challenge America, a charity that works with local communities to support recreational and occupational programs for injured veterans returning from war. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.challengeamerica.com.