The Inspiration Behind "Go Rest High on That Mountain" is Vince Gill's Brother

"So go rest high on that mountain / Son, your work on earth is done"

Feb. 19 2024, Published 9:49 a.m. ET

Country music legend Vince Gill has been acting publicly since 1983 and has as many hit songs as years performing. With more than 40 charting songs as a solo artist and duets with spouse Amy Grant, the 2 have been musical fixtures in track enthusiasts' lives for decades.

However, none of Vince's songs could also be extra non-public than his 1995 large hit, “Go Rest High on That Mountain.”

The inspiration for one in every of Vince's greatest hits, “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” a tune that won Best Male Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song on the 38th Grammy Awards in 1996, Country Music Association Awards' Song of the Year award in 1996, a BMI Most-Performed Song award in 1997 and named No.17 on Rolling Stone's rating of the 40 Saddest Country Songs of All Time, is about Vince's half-brother Bob Coen.

So, what happened to Bob Coen? Vince's artwork was birthed from tragedy.

According to Wide Open Country, Vince got to work at the tune in 1989 after the demise of fellow country music famous person Keith Whitley. Vince wasn’t ready to end the music until his older brother Bob passed away from a heart assault in 1993.

Vince recorded and included the music on 1994’s "When Love Finds You," his 6th album. It used to be launched as a unmarried on August 28, 1995, the 6th unmarried from the 4x platinum record.

The music starts, “I know your lifestyles on earth used to be bothered / And most effective you have to know the ache / You weren't afraid to face the devil / You have been no stranger to the rain.” Vince is joined via fellow country superstar singers Patty Loveless and Ricky Skaggs for the chorus.

Vince added a new verse about his brother to the music in 2019.

According to Genius, Vince has been singing a new, 3rd verse to the music since December 2019. He debuted the new verse at his annual Christmas live performance on the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.

The track is already a touching tribute to a liked, misplaced one. When you pay attention Vince introduce the tune, it turns into more powerful.

“When anyone leans on certainly one of your songs after they’re going thru a in point of fact rough stretch, that means a little bit greater than the rest it's essential to believe," Vince says.

Vince’s new final verse for “Go Rest High on That Mountain” is, “You're safely home in the arms of Jesus / Eternal life, my brother's found / The day will come, I know I'll see you / That sacred place on that Holy ground.”

Bob was Vince's first musical partner.

Vince’s brother played a large musical role in his life. According to the 1995 book, For the Music: The Vince Gill Story by author Jo Sgammato, Bob was also fond of playing guitar and the two performed together publicly when Vince was just 8 years old.

Later in the book, Vince says, “He got dealt what he got dealt, but he never complained. And he showed me more character with nothing than most people who have everything."

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