Vince Gill has one of the best singing voices in country music today. He has proven himself to be comfortable covering songs from a wide range of artists. However, when called on to sing the Beach Boys’ “Surf’s Up” during a tribute concert for Brian Wilson, he believed he’d met his match. After hearing the song, he didn’t think he would be able to nail the complicated vocal arrangement live.

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Twenty years after performing during the All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson in 2001, Gill appeared on Tom Scott’s Podcast Express. During his conversation with host Tom Scott, the “Go Rest High on That Mountain” singer revealed how he came to sing “Surf’s Up” and his initial impression of the song.

Vince Gill on Singing “Surf’s Up” for the Brian Wilson Tribute Show

Penned by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, “Surf’s Up” was the title track from the Beach Boys’ 1971 album. While it didn’t see chart success when released as a single, it went on to be hailed as one of the group’s best songs. However, Vince Gill hadn’t heard the song when he was called upon to sing it in 2001.

“When they called and asked me to be part of that show, I said, ‘Great,’” Gill recalled. The show organizers told him they wanted him to perform two songs with David Crosby and Jimmy Webb. He was to sing “Warmth of the Sun” and “Surf’s Up.” At the time, Gill was only familiar with “Warmth of the Sun.”

”I didn’t know the song ‘Surf’s Up.’ So, I said okay, not knowing this was the hardest thing I ever had to learn in my whole life,” he added. Gill expected the song to be an uptempo surf rock tune. “Then, I got the record and put it on. And I called my manager and said, ‘I can’t do this. There’s no way in hell I can pull this off.’” Then, he called Phil Ramone, the show’s organizer, and delivered the same message. Both Ramone and Gill’s manager had faith in him and told him to “live with” the song for a while and continue to work on it.

“I worked harder learning some how, some way, to pull that off than anything I’ve ever learned in my life,” Gill recalled. “I remember the first rehearsal, with David and Jimmy, and I killed it on the first rehearsal. David Crosby just looked at me, gave me the finger, and said, ‘F you!’ I took that as a compliment,” he said with a laugh.

Brian Wilson approached Gill as he was walking off the stage and complimented his performance. Then, he said, “We never did that song live. It was too hard.”

Brian Wilson’s Reaction to Gill’s Performance

Before Vince Gill told the story of his rendition of “Surf’s Up,” Tom Scott shared a quote from Brian Wilson about Gill’s performance at the tribute concert. “I never heard Vince Gill sing before. After he sang, I was blown out. I was totally blown out.”