Gill Duets with Babs for Thanksgiving

By Stephen M. Silverman

Wednesday November 13, 2002 11:00 AM EST

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Vince Gill is getting a special gift for Thanksgiving: a duet with Barbra Streisand.

A song that the pair recorded a few years ago, "If You Ever Leave Me," is due to finally be released on Streisand's new album, "Duets," in stores Nov. 26, Launch.com reports.

As for how the much-delayed number came about, Gill, 45, said: "I don't accept or deny requests to work on records based on their popularity or their totem pole or their star status or any of the other. It's more a matter of time, you know? A lot of people just call, you know, and the ones that I think would be fun and be interesting and you know, there's 24 hours in a day and I don't have time to do everything I wish I could do, but I try to do the best I can."

Besides warbling with Gill, Streisand, 60, will also be heard with Bryan Adams, Kris Kristofferson, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, Celine Dion and, through the wonders of modern technology, the late Judy Garland, among others.

In other Gill news -- whose next album, tentatively titled "This Old Guitar and Me," will be released Feb. 4 -- the native Oklahoman will serve as master of ceremonies Saturday as the state dedicates a new $20.8 million Capitol dome.

The dedication will include a fireworks display and a laser light show, the Daily Oklahoman newspaper reports.

Other entertainers at the ceremony will include Gill's wife, Amy Grant, country music star Bryan White, Grammy winner Jimmy Webb and Oklahoma's three living Miss Americas: Jane Jayroe, Susan Powell and Shawntel Smith Wuerch, according to the paper.