Vince Gill Dedicates Emotional Performance “Go Rest High on That Mountain” To His Mother
Vince Gill dedicated an emotional performance of “Go Rest High On That Mountain” to his mother. While performing that song at Opry 100: A Live Celebration, Gill said he was performing the song in tribute to his mother, Jerene.
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Gill was joined on stage by Ricky Skaggs, Sonya Isaacs and Jeff Taylor.
“I wanna sing this song for my mama tonight,” Gill says ahead of his performance. “My mama is turning 100 on October 28th. Same age as the Grand Ole Opry. This song’s about her son.”
Prior to his performance, Gill shared his thoughts on being part of the Grand Ole Opry since 1991, when he was inducted.
“I’ve been part of this Opry family for nearly half of my life, and it continues to enrich my life, this family out here,” the 67-year-old says. “This great night, this celebration that we’re having, let’s try to remember the friends that we said goodbye to, and hold them dear in our hearts.”
Vince Gills’ Heartbreaking Story Behind “Go Rest High On That Mountain”
Gill started writing “Go Rest High On That Mountain” after the death of Keith Whitley in 1989. The song remained unfinished, until Gill’s own brother Bob passed away from a heart attack four years later, in 1993. His sorrow propelled him to complete “Go Rest High On That Mountain.”
“I wrote this song, and I didn’t have any idea if anybody would want to hear it, or like it” Gill says. “All I wanted to do was grieve for him and celebrate his life. That’s how I always process grief—sit down with a guitar and make something up. Turns out that if anybody remembers any of my songs, it’ll be this one.”
In 2019, Gill debuted a third verse to the song, while performing at the Ryman.
“In all these years of singing that song, truthfully it felt just the slightest bit incomplete to me,” Gill explains (via The Boot). “I always thought it needed to tie itself up in some way.”
Gill performed the third verse as part of Opry 100: A Live Celebration. The lyrics are “You’re safely home, in the arms of Jesus / Eternal life my brother’s found / The day will come I know I’ll see him / In that sacred place on that holy ground.”
