Vince Gill and Lainey Wilson Bring “Go Rest High on That Mountain” to the Emmys in a Moving Tribute to Gill’s Late Brother
Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High on That Mountain” has carried the weight of grief for three decades. On September 14, 2025, the country music legend brought that deeply personal song to the 77th Emmy Awards, where he joined Lainey Wilson for an emotional performance during the ceremony’s In Memoriam tribute.
The setting gave the song an especially poignant meaning. As images of television and entertainment figures who died during the year appeared on screens behind them, Gill and Wilson delivered one of the evening’s most solemn performances at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, California.
For Gill, however, “Go Rest High on That Mountain” has always carried a more intimate history. The song began as a response to the death of country singer Keith Whitley, but it was the loss of Gill’s older brother, Bob, in 1993 that ultimately pushed him to finish it.
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Vince Gill and Lainey Wilson Take the Emmy Stage
Wilson and Gill came together Sunday night for a rendition of “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” Gill’s enduring ballad about loss, faith and the hope of reunion.
The two singers represented different generations of country music, but both brought the same emotional directness to the performance. Wilson’s contemporary country voice blended with Gill’s unmistakable delivery as photographs of those being remembered appeared throughout the In Memoriam segment.
Among the television and entertainment figures honored were Maggie Smith, Quincy Jones and Malcolm-Jamal Warner, adding another layer of reflection to an already emotional performance.
The pairing also marked a notable moment for Wilson, who shared the stage with one of country music’s most respected singer-songwriters for a song that has become closely associated with memorials and remembrance.
The Emmy performance came just days after Gill released a newly extended recording of the song for its 30th anniversary.
The Personal Story Behind “Go Rest High on That Mountain”
Gill began writing “Go Rest High on That Mountain” after the death of Keith Whitley in 1989. Whitley was Gill’s friend and labelmate, and his death inspired Gill to start putting the song together.
But the song remained unfinished for several years.
Then, in 1993, Gill’s older brother Bob died from a heart attack. That loss changed the song’s meaning for Gill and gave him the reason to complete what he had started.
“Go Rest High on That Mountain” was eventually released on August 28, 1995, as part of Gill’s album When Love Finds You. Thirty years later, its emotional connection to Gill’s own family remains central to the song’s story.
That history helps explain why the song has always sounded so personal when Gill performs it. Although it began with Whitley in mind, the death of Bob became a defining part of its creation.
Gill Finally Adds the Verse He Had Kept to Himself
There was another reason the Emmy performance was significant.
For years, Gill had felt that “Go Rest High on That Mountain” was missing something. He had written an additional third verse, but audiences could previously hear it only when he performed the song live.
Gill first introduced that verse during a 2019 Christmas at the Ryman performance with his wife, Amy Grant. He continued performing it onstage, but it was not part of the widely available recording.
For the song’s 30th anniversary, Gill finally recorded the extended version and released it on September 12, 2025, just two days before the Emmys.
In updating the recording, Gill kept the original tracks and added his vocals for the new verse. The newly completed version gave listeners access to a part of the song that had previously existed primarily in his live performances.
Gill explained that after three decades, he still felt the song needed a sense of resolution. The new verse, he said, finally made the song feel complete.
A Song That Has Endured for 30 Years
The timing of the Emmy performance was fitting. “Go Rest High on That Mountain” reached its 30th anniversary in 2025, and the song remains one of Gill’s best-known recordings.
Its impact has also been recognized within the music industry. The song won two Grammy Awards in 1996, for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song, as well as the CMA Award for Song of the Year. In 1997, it received BMI’s Most Performed Song award. The single was also certified double-platinum by the RIAA in September 2025.
That longevity made its appearance at the Emmys especially appropriate. A song Gill originally began writing in response to one devastating loss became the soundtrack to a national moment of remembrance three decades later.
And this time, Gill was able to sing it with the verse he had always felt was missing.
Beside Lainey Wilson, he gave “Go Rest High on That Mountain” a new setting while preserving the deeply personal story at its heart: a song that began with the loss of Keith Whitley, was completed after the death of his brother Bob, and ultimately became a lasting tribute to those who are gone.