Tonight (March 19) the Grand Ole Opry celebrates 100 years of country music. For a century, the Opry has been beaming live music into radios across the nation. In more recent years, the institution has turned to television and the internet to offer a more immersive experience. Vince Gill has been there to see many of the major changes the Opry has made over the years. So, tonight’s celebration would have been incomplete without a performance from the Oklahoma native.
Gill invited Ricky Skaggs and other musicians to accompany him for a moving rendition of “Go Rest High on That Mountain.” Before starting the song, Gill urged those gathered at the Opry House to remember those who we have lost in recent months. Then, he dedicated the song to his mother who would have turned 100 years old this year adding, “this is about her son.”
Gill has performed on the Opry stage countless times since making his debut in the summer of 1989. Sometimes, he performs alone. Other times, he shares the stage with other Opry members. No matter who is on the stage with him, his respect for the institution always shines through in his performances. However, he’s more than a near-constant fixture at the Opry. He’s one of the genre’s elder statesmen who is reportedly always ready to give advice or add his voice or guitar work to a collaboration. In truth, the Opry and modern country music wouldn’t be the same without his contributions.
Few Things Matter More to Vince Gill Than the Grand Ole Opry
Vince Gill made his Grand Ole Opry debut in June 1989. He became a member of the family a little more than two years later in August 1991. Being a member of the Opry has afforded him several opportunities he likely wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else.
“The opportunity to sit and have Roy Acruff tell me war stories from 40 or 50 years ago on the road was priceless,” he once said. “To grieve with people, to grieve with their families, to sing a little bit with Jimmy Dickens, to record some with Hank Locklin, to sit around and talk golf with Charlie Walker, and to write a song or two with Bill Anderson–that’s what being there has brought me,” he added.
While being an Opry member is among his greatest achievements, family comes first for Gill. He proved that when he missed his first chance to play the Opry.
He promised his daughter Jenny he would play guitar for her at her elementary school talent show before getting the offer to play the Opry. As a result, he had to tell them he couldn’t make it. Luckily, they were able to get him on the hallowed stage another time.
