On Thursday (Dec. 6) the Oak Ridge Boys sang "Amazing Grace" at George H. W. Bush's memorial service in Houston, Texas, fulfilling a promise the group made to the former president long ago.
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The group, made up of Joe Bonsall, Richard Sterban, William Lee Golden and Duane Allen, delivered a chill-inducing rendition of the song, made even more special by the Oak Ridge Boys' close friendship with the 41st president.
"George Bush requested before he passed away that we sing 'Amazing Grace,' his favorite song, at his funeral," Oak Ridge Boys bandmember Richard Sterban told The Tennessean. "There's no way we wouldn't do it. He always taught us to do the right thing, and it is a tremendous honor. One final time here on this earth, we're going to sing it for him and we believe in our hearts we'll see him again one day and we'll sing it for him again."
Before their performance, Bonsall spoke about what it meant to the country group to sing for the president and even shared a lighthearted joke about Bush's own singing.
"We first sang for him in October of 1983 on the lawn of the White House when he was Vice President and he said 'Fellas would you sing me a few songs? I'm a big fan.' For decades, we sang for him and this a real honor," Bonsall said. "What you may not know is he fancied himself to be a good bass singer... He was not."
The Oak Ridge Boys weren't the only country act to honor the former president. Reba McEntire sang "The Lord's Prayer" at the memorial service.
"It was an honor and privilege to sing at President George H.W. Bush's funeral this morning. He was a great friend and leader and I will never forget the time we shared together," McEntire wrote on her Facebook page.
President George H. W. Bush died on Nov. 30 at the age of 94.
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