Carrie Underwood paid tribute to Vince Gill with a soaring performance of one of Gill’s classic hits during the CMT Giants special, which was taped on Monday (Sept. 12) at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Backed by a choir of Belmont students, the country superstar performed a cover of Gill’s most famous tune, “Go Rest High On That Mountain,” a track solely penned by Gill that appears on his sixth studio album, When Love Finds You. The song went on to earn Gill two GRAMMY-Awards following its 1985 release.
Donning an aquamarine dress embellished with gold stars, Underwood put her powerhouse vocals on full display as Gill watched on from the star-studded audience. “Go rest high on that mountain / Son your work on earth is done / Go to heaven a-shoutin’ / Love for the Father and the Son,” Underwood sang.
Ahead of the performance, Underwood praised Gill, a fellow Oklahoma native and one of her biggest inspirations.
“He’s an Okie boy, and I’m from Oklahoma,” Underwood shared. “I feel like getting to grow up and see him and other artists like him that were from a little bit down the road go on to live the dream that I wanted to someday maybe have was just super inspiring. He’s got obviously an incredible voice and just some of the most memorable songs in this era of country music. It’s just an honor to get to be here.”
Hours before the show aired, Underwood took to social media to share a clip of her and her husband Mike Fisher singing Gill’s classic “I Still Believe In You” to their son Jake, who was an infant at the time.
“In honor of @vincegillofficial’s special night, here’s a flashback to one of my favorite baby Jake moments,” Underwood captioned the clip.
Following her tribute performance on Friday evening, Underwood shared a photo alongside Gill from the event, which she captioned, “Honored to have been a part of this show paying tribute to the GIANT that is @vincegillofficial!❤️”
CMT Giants: Vince Gill premiered on Friday, September 16 at 9p/8c. The two-hour event featured performances by Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Cody Johnson, Luke Combs, Maren Morris, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Sting, Wendy Moten, and Gill himself.
Presenters also included Corrina Grant Gill, Emmylou Harris, Jenny Gill, Keith Urban, Keb’ Mo’, Reba McEntire, Rodney Crowell, and Sheryl Crow.
The show will include performance and interview footage from the vault as well as a brand-new sit-down interview with Gill as he reflects on his career, his musical influences and what’s next for him.
Following the initial premiere, the show will have an encore showing on Sunday, September 18th at 11a/10c.
Launched in 2006, CMT Giants has previously featured Alan Jackson, Darius Rucker, Dolly Parton, Faith Hill, Garth Brooks, Kelly Clarkson, Luke Combs, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, and Wynonna, just to name a few.
Vince Gill recently celebrated the 30th Anniversary of his debut album, I Still Believe In You. The iconic release features five singles, four of which topped the charts, including “I Still Believe In You,” “No Future In The Past,” as well as “Tryin’ To Get Over You,” and “One More Last Chance.” The fifth single, “Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away,” peaked at No.2 on the charts. The album has been certified five times platinum.
The album was released in September 1992. The following year, at the 1993 CMA Awards Gill took home Album of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Song of the Year and Entertainer of the Year.
