30 Years Ago: Vince Gill Releases The Perfect Country Eulogy

It wasn’t a hit when it was released on August, 22nd, 1995. “Go Rest High On That Mountain” stalled at #14 on the charts. And this was during the peak of Vince Gill’s commercial era. 21 of the 23 songs Gill released between 1990 and 1998 hit the Top 10, including 11 songs that were either #1 or #2. “Go Rest High On That Mountain” was the outlier. 

But chart placement isn’t the true testament to the importance of a piece of music. Time is. Over time, the fortitude of a song or album is tested rigorously, either becoming a product of its era and dated, or forged over a prolonged period to be rendered legendary. Vince Gill’s song “Go Rest High On That Mountain” is one of the latter, rising to become one of those songs audiences will be listening to 100 years from now.

“Go Rest High On That Mountain” was written by Vince Gill himself, and was recorded in 1994 to appear on his album When Love Finds You. But Gill began writing the song many years before. In 1989 after the tragic death of Keith Whitley, this is where Gill was first struck by inspiration. But never quite got the song to where he wanted it to be, and it remained on the shelf. When Gill’s older brother Bob died in 1993, that is what inspired Vince to complete it.

Neither Keith Whitley nor Gill’s brother Bob are named in the song directly. Whitley is alluded to though when “I’m No Stranger To The Rain” is referenced in the first verse. The ambiguity is one of the many elements that has helped “Go Rest High On That Mountain” become so favored by people looking for the perfect funeral eulogy. This was also probably one of the reasons that when it was released as a single, it somewhat failed to resonate. It just felt too dour, too morbid for country radio at that time.

“Go Rest High On That Mountain” was recorded with harmony vocals from Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless, both of whom were from Whitley’s native Kentucky. Ricky Skaggs had grown up with Whitley, and Keith and Ricky got their start in country music when they auditioned for Ralph Stanley’s band and won spots. Skaggs and Whitley also played in J.D. Crowe’s band The New South, though at separate times. Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs had also been in a band together in the ’70s called Boone Creek.

Patty Loveless and Ricky Skaggs reprised their roles in the music video for the song, which was filmed at the Ryman Auditorium. In 1995, the Ryman was mostly shuttered and abandoned, making the appearance of the Mother Church in the video that much more rare and special. Though a silhouetted woman plays the crucial fiddle part in the video, in the studio it was performed by Stuart Duncan.

Though the song faced headwinds commercially, it was recognized by peers and critics as a landmark song immediately. In 1996, “Go Rest High On That Mountain” won the Grammy Awards for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song, as well as the CMA Song of the Year. Soon after, the song began to be selected for the eulogies of country fans and their families on a regular basis.

Then on May 2, 2013 when Vince Gill performed the song with Patty Loveless at the funeral for George Jones at the Grand Ole Opry House, it solidified its place in the pantheon of American eulogies, and perhaps as one of the greatest country songs of all time. Gill struggled to make it through the performance. But it seemed to make it all the more special.

The legacy of “Go Rest High On That Mountain” is one that teaches that country music isn’t just here to entertain. It is here to heal. And few songs have the healing power, and present such grace and adulation for a fallen friend, loved one, or fellow country great than “Go Rest High On That Mountain.” 30 years later, the song has only grown in majesty and potency.

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