Vince Gill dedicated the recent performance of his original 1994 hit song “Go Rest High on that Mountain” to fellow country music star the late Loretta Lynn. Lynn, a four-time Grammy Award winning songwriter and performer, passed away earlier this month at the age of 90 in her home in Tennessee.
“We’re gonna do this especially for Loretta tonight,” Gill said, “This song brought a lot of peace to a lot of people and I hope it does to her family and all the people that love Loretta Lynn.”
Joined on stage by fellow Opry Live cast members Steve Wariner, Ricky Skaggs, Chapel Hart, Bill Anderson, Riders in the Sky and Deana Carter, Gill gave the emotional performance while standing below a projected image of a young Loretta Lynn. He adjusted the lyrics that fittingly reflect the trials Lynn faced in her rise to fame — an impoverished Appalachian childhood and a turbulent marriage — to include her name:
I know your life
On Earth was troubled
And only you could know the pain
You weren’t afraid to face the devil
You were no stranger to the rain
Go rest high on that mountain
Loretta, your work on earth is done
Go to heaven a-shoutin’
Love for the Father and the Son …
The powerful performance received a standing ovation and left many in the audience and on stage, including Gill, visibly overcome by emotion. It’s no doubt Gill’s song, one that resonates like a modern-day hymn, was a fitting tribute to the beloved singer.
And today we celebrate...