The Sat., Oct. 8 live broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry turned into a moving celebration of country legend Loretta Lynn— a cast member since 1962 who'd died the previous Tuesday (Oct. 4) at her Hurricane Mills, Tenn. home.
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Among the most moving moments from that night was a Vince Gill-led all-star jam of his CMA and Grammy award-winner "Go Rest High on That Mountain."
"We're gonna do this especially for Loretta tonight," Gill said from the stage. "This song brings 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."
Gill was joined by one of his 1994 single's harmony vocalists, Ricky Skaggs, as well as rising act Chapel Hart and Opry regulars Steve Wariner, Bill Anderson, Riders in the Sky and Deana Carter.
A high water mark for Gill as a songwriter, "Go Rest High on That Mountain's" lyrics were started following country star Keith Whitley's 1989 death and finished in 1993 after the passing of Gill's brother, Bob.
Though the single from Gill's When Love Finds You album stalled at No. 14 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, it became one of the genre's most-beloved faith-based songs. That's due in part to lyrics that promise comfort for Gill's fellow Christians beyond the stage of grief.
The song has been the source of noteworthy collaborations, from the original recording featuring the voices of Skaggs and Patty Loveless to Carrie Underwood and Gill's live performance duet for CMT Giants: Vince Gill, which aired on CMT on Sept. 16.
Lynn tributes have been commonplace in live country music. For example, Wynonna enlisted The Judds Final Tour mates Martina McBride and Ashley McBryde for an uplifting rendition of "Coal Miner's Daughter." During a stop at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, Keith Urban put his own spin on "Blue Kentucky Girl" and "You're Looking at Country."
